


The Library And The Book (Put on Hold)

by AcornScorn



Category: Dangan Ronpa
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-17
Updated: 2014-01-22
Packaged: 2017-12-29 15:38:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 24,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1007133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcornScorn/pseuds/AcornScorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kiyotaka Ishimaru has always been a good hall monitor, a greater student. There was no time to mingle with the other students, or hang out with anyone after school. But one fateful day, an unknown library book brings him face to face with the biggest and baddest kid in school-Mondo Oowada.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Books Are Too High And People Get Hurt

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow let's all give a warm round of applause to thosetwogingers on Tumblr for the spacing! It looks greater than I could have ever dreamed ahh!

Ishimaru reached up, standing on his toes as he tried to grab the book that was just past his fingertips. He let out a soft breath, annoyed at how foolish he must have looked to anyone passing by.

However, the only other person that he noticed in the room was Chihiro, a young girl who was often in the library and on the computers. She couldn't help him, either; he was still taller than her. He looked back up at the book, then towards Chihiro, and then at the book again, just out of his reach. He bent down slightly, ready to jump and catch it, when he heard Chihiro let out a laugh. He turned around quickly, embarrassed and thinking that Chihiro had seen him. But Chihiro was turned away, still giggling at something. He looked over the shelf and saw a large shape laying down on the ground. Turning away, Ishimaru tried one last time to grab the book, deciding if he didn't reach it this time then he would leave it for another day. He bent down again to try and jump, but a voice stopped him. "Oi, look who decided to stop by and make sure everyone's following the rules, eh?"

He turned, hoping that whoever had said that was not who he thought it was. Luck was not on his side today, he realized, as Mondo stood up, heading towards him with his giant coat and ridiculous pompadour hanging above his face. Ishimaru scowled and turned away, jumping to try and reach the book. He managed to push it in a bit farther. Letting out a soft breath, Ishimaru turned to leave.

"Kiyotaka? I can get that book for you, if you want?" Chihiro said softly from behind Mondo.

Ishimaru was about to politely decline, not wanting Chihiro to be hurt trying to reach it, but he remembered that he needed the book to finish his project. "Yes, Chihiro, but you don't need to do that-"

Chihiro tugged on Mondo's coat and Mondo looked down at him. "Oh? Fine, fine." Chihiro bounced away back to the computers, not even worried about Mondo.

Mondo reached over and plucked the book easily from the shelf, handing it out nonchalantly to Ishimaru. Ishimaru reached forward for it and Mondo yanked his hand away. "What, no thank you?" he asked.

Ishimaru sighed. "Thank you, Oowada," he said stiffly, forcing himself to look calm. If Mondo knew that he was getting upset then he'd tease him longer.

Mondo held it away for a few more seconds, and then huffed and handed it to Ishimaru, turning away before he was even certain that he had a firm grip on it.The book noisily fell to the floor and Ishimaru bent down quickly to pick it up. Mondo let out a laugh and Ishimaru felt his face turning red at the rude gang leader's attitude. He handed the book to Chihiro to check it out for him and Mondo paced around, finally settling on laying down in the middle of the room on the floor. Ishimaru rolled his eyes, taking the book from Chihiro with a 'thank you'. He turned, momentarily forgetting about Mondo-until he tripped over his long legs and fell to the floor, book flying from his hands.

He would have been fine, had the table been a few more inches away from him. He bumped his head on the corner and lay still for a few minutes, dazed and trying to process what just happened.

Chihiro gasped and he heard soft footsteps coming towards him as she ran. "Kiyotaka! Are you okay?"

He sat up, putting a hand to his head and yanking it away just as fast when he felt something wet on his hand. He stared at his fingertips-blood. And not just a little bit of it, either. He gasped, standing up. He couldn't get his uniform dirty! Not with something so  as blood! He kept his head bowed slightly, turning it away from his clothes. "Yes, yes. I'm fine."

Chihiro looked up at his face. "I'm going to find someone to help! Mondo, watch Kiyotaka, please?"

And then Chihiro was gone, the door clicking softly behind her. He raised his eyes to see Mondo sitting up, staring at him and biting his lip. Ishimaru scowled; Mondo looked like he wanted to laugh or something. "You gotta be so uptight, eh? 'Can't even get my clothes dirty, I'm such a queen,'" he mimicked in a high voice.

Ishimaru scoffed. "If you ever decided to go to school, Oowada, then you would know that only women can be called queens. And no, I disagree with your statement. It's ridiculous to think one so highly of themselves without even being done with school. Which, as I mentioned before, you probably don't go to."

Mondo sat up, rolling his eyes. "At least I don't act like blood is the end of the world."

Ishimaru bristled at the comment. "Well at least I don't try to make enemies with everyone I see!"

Mondo stared at him, his eyes narrowing. Ishimaru took a few steps towards the book and almost tripped, feeling a little dizzy. He turned away from Mondo, scowling. "Here, lemme see. It ain't even gonna be that bad." Mondo grabbed Ishimaru by his arm and pulled him back.

"Physical contact is not allowed!" Ishimaru exclaimed, more than a little alarmed.

"Relax. Friggin wuss." Mondo stared at his forehead for a few seconds. Ishimaru used that time to look up at him. He'd hardly ever seen Mondo's face so calm and normal.

"Hm. Could be worse," Mondo muttered, dropping his hand. Ishimaru bent down to pick up the book again and Mondo hummed quietly as they waited.

After a few minutes, Ishimaru heard a door opening and looked up to see Chihiro leading Naegi. "Oh, what happened?" Naegi said, sounding worried.

"He tripped," Mondo answered for him. Ishimaru opened his mouth to protest but Naegi began talking:

"Get some paper towel or something. Kiyotaka, you should just sit down for a little bit, okay?" Ishimaru sat down on one of the chairs and Chihiro walked to him, holding a sheet of paper towel. Ishimaru kept it on his forehead, barely listening to Naegi and Chihiro talking.

Mondo sat down in a chair at the table beside Ishimaru's, propping his feet up on the desk and tilting his head back slightly, eyes closed. Ishimaru stared at him silently, simmering in anger. How could he just… He hardly knew what he was getting mad at. It was he who had tripped, who wasn't careful. But he wouldn't have tripped if Mondo Oowada hadn't decided to lay down on the floor!

Mondo lifted his head suddenly, his violet-gray eyes darting to Ishimaru and then away, muttering something underneath his breath. Ishimaru saw Naegi leaving the library soon after, calling a goodbye to Chihiro and flashing a thumbs-up at Ishimaru. He waved to Mondo, who lifted his arm in a farewell.

Chihiro bounced off of her chair over to Mondo. She whispered something in his ear and he glanced at Ishimaru, his lip curling in disgust and exposing a sharp canine in his mouth. Ishimaru only turned away, trying not to let him know that he was curious about their conversation. Plus, eavesdropping wasn't a polite thing to do.

He heard Mondo whispering something and he felt him watching him. Again! Ishimaru shivered at the thought of being watched, especially by someone like Mondo. Probably trying to figure out the best way to make him fall again, or something. He heard a chair creak and Mondo groaning, saying something too quiet for Ishimaru to hear to Chihiro.

"Ey, Ish-Kiyotaka."

Ishimaru lifted his head, looking up at Mondo. "I would prefer if you called me as I call you, Oowada. Formally."

Mondo rolled his eyes. "Hey, Ishimaru." Ishimaru waited quietly. Mondo scratched the back of his head nervously, looking down at the floor. Silence. It went on for a few long seconds and then Mondo cleared his throat. "Sorry," he muttered.

Ishimaru looked up at him again, glancing at Chihiro to the side, who was crouching behind a chair. He stood up, bowing slightly. "Forgiven. If you will excuse me, Oowada, I have a schedule I need to follow and-" He glanced up at the clock. He was going to be late to his house. And what's more-He didn't even take his bike, having decided to take a fresh walk today. He called a goodbye to Chihiro and ignored Mondo, who had hardly moved from his spot. He walked out and as he turned, he heard a door open.

"Is that it, huh?" Mondo called out, crossing his arms above his chest and lowering his head slightly, hiding his expression with that ridiculous pompadour.

"Thank you," Ishimaru said loudly, beginning to walk again. He began running, but even at his faster sprint, it would take ten minutes to get to his house, longer when he took a break. He sighed as he ran, still holding the book with one hand and the paper towel to his other. He heard a rumbling sound behind him, and a set of lights behind him cast a shadow over the sidewalk.  He looked back, blinking in the bright light, and realized it was Mondo following behind him slowly.

"It's not safe," Ishimaru said over his shoulder. "To ride a motorcycle and not wear any protection."

Mondo laughed, driving forward so he was beside Ishimaru. "I'm not even going that fast. 'It's not safe," he began to mimic, “to go walking alone in the dark."

Ishimaru rolled his eyes, forcing himself to be polite.

"I hardly have a choice." Mondo chuckled softly, resting his elbows on the handlebars as he turned to stare at Ishimaru. He kept pace with Ishimaru until Ishimaru finally stopped walking, moving his head to look at him. He didn't want Mondo to know where he lived. Being the Crazy Diamonds gang leader, he'd probably break all his windows during the night for kicks.

"Ah, I get it," Mondo said, smirking. "Fine, fine. I'll be going. See you around, Kee-yo-ta-ka." He sped off, throwing dirt around and disappearing on his motorcycle, leaving Ishimaru with a protest hanging on his lips.


	2. In Which Ishimaru Returns At A Bad Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru heads back to the library to return a book and manages to overhear the end of a suspicious conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((This looks so much better with spacing holy soda cans again many thanks to Tumblr user thosetwogingers for it))

Ishimaru arrived at the library on his bike, setting it against the side of the building as he held the book carefully. He opened the door and saw several people there, which surprised him. He'd never been to the library many times anyways, and it surprised him that there were so many students on a Friday. He even recognized a few of them from his classes and hall monitor duties.

Naegi was just about to leave, waving a goodbye to Chihiro, who was at the computers again. "Bye, Ishimaru!" Naegi said before leaving.

Ishimaru looked around once, scanning the room. Touko Fukawa was sitting on a chair, watching Byakuya Togami as he packed up, obviously ready to leave as well. It was just turning past six o' clock. Chihiro said something softly and Ishimaru heard loud laughter. It was Mondo, sitting on a chair with his legs propped up onto a desk, his head thrown back as he howled. "Are you serious? Me and him getting along? Forget that, me and him in general! Who's heard of something so insane?"

Chihiro looked up at Ishimaru and froze. Something secret? Was Ishimaru not supposed to be here?

"I could imagine it working ouuuut," Fukawa sang eerily, as she watched Togami eagerly. "Wouldn't it just be so fun? Someone who doesn't want to be in a relationship and someone who does, getting together?"

Togami let out a hard laugh. "Sounds familiar. If you'll excuse me, you idiot, I'm going now. But about that," he said, sounding almost interested-at first, anyways. "I say you should stick with what you can scavenge. Seeing that you scare away women so easily, shouldn't be hard to try it on someone else. Like Ishimaru," he said loudly, staring at Ishimaru through his glasses and smirking as he began to walk out the door, Fukawa following like a puppy.

Ishimaru felt small and confused, looking around at everyone cluelessly.

"Eh?! What's that supposed to mean, you son of a-" Chihiro cleared her throat and Mondo sighed, relaxing slightly. "I can get a lady if I wanted to. Hmph. And I sure as hell don't need to try anything on a guy like Kiyotak-"

Ishimaru cleared his throat suddenly, not wanting to hear the last 'a' of his name coming out of Mondo's vulgar mouth. Mondo lifted his head, wondering who had entered without him knowing. "Ah, shh..." he tipped his head back, closing his eyes and changing his face from laughing and playful to cool and collected.

 

"I need to return this." Ishimaru said in a smaller voice than he wanted to have when he spoke again.

"Right on it, Kiyotaka!" Chihiro scooted off her chair and took the book from Ishimaru, scanning it and running off to put it away. "Mondo?" she called out, and he lifted his eyes to Chihiro.

"Aw, hell. Can't you find a chair to use for this?" Chihiro shook her head, holding out the book to Mondo. "All these chairs are expensive. We can't use them for something like climbing to put things onto shelves!"

Ishimaru followed slightly, watching Mondo get up from his chair. Chihiro looked over at Ishimaru while they waited. "How are you feeling, Kiyotaka? Since Monday's 'incident'...?" Ishimaru nodded. "I'm feeling much better, Chihiro. Thank you for asking." He stared sullenly at Mondo, who wasn't even looking at him. He put away the book and stared at Ishimaru. "What?" he asked quickly, turning away back to his chair.

Ishimaru managed to see him blushing and hear him swearing under his breath. "I hope you would watch your language more carefully, Oowada."

Mondo's fists tightened. "Ain't the boss of me," he muttered loudly. Chihiro looked between them, curiosity on her face.

"I think I should be going now," Ishimaru said, turning to leave.

"Kiyotaka? Are you busy? Maybe you want to help me putting some books away?" Chihiro asked.

Mondo, who had gone to sit down again, sat up straighter. "Hey, Chi, I was going to help! He doesn't need to be here."

Chihiro stared at Mondo, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You never help!" she complained loudly.

Ishimaru was thinking, tuning their argument out as he thought. He was going to study when he got home; it was in his schedule. But then he remembered that he did bring his backpack with him, putting it beside his bike. If he stayed, he would be able to help a fellow student out and study! Brilliant! Chihiro was looking back at him and Mondo sulked by some bookshelves, obviously having lost their squabble.

"Of course I can help, Chihiro!" Ishimaru said grandly. He turned to glance at Mondo with an icy glint in his eye. Mondo only rolled his eyes and huffed, turning away again.

 

For the next half hour or so, Ishimaru helped Chihiro put books away in alphabetical order. Every once in a while Chihiro would call Mondo to help them put away a book on a shelf that was too high up, but otherwise Mondo leaned in his chair and stayed silent. Ishimaru and Chihiro spoke softly, talking about schoolwork. Chihiro went to the computer when they were taking a break and gasped. "I forgot my flash drive at my house!" She turned to Mondo. "Can you stay here, you two? It's right across the street. I'll be back before you know it, I promise!"

Ishimaru didn't see why not. Until he realized that Chihiro was talking to him and Mondo. "Yes," they said at the same time. Ishimaru froze and stared at Mondo, who had opened one eye to glare at him.

"Eh heh… okay! See if you can finish the books, okay?" And before either of them could say anything Chihiro had run out.

Ishimaru kept working but he felt Mondo watching him from behind. "Can I help you, Oowada?" Ishimaru asked.

"Neh. I didn't say anything, did I?"

Ishimaru forced himself to stay quiet, gritting his teeth and putting away another book. He looked at the book author's name and paused, looking up at the shelf that was obviously too high for him to reach. He glanced at Mondo, who was pacing back and forth now, squinting at the clock on the wall. He didn't need help, didn't want it. Ishimaru dusted his uniform off and stood on the shelf's bottom edge, standing on his toes as he tried to reach the shelf. Maybe he could use one of the chairs, if he was careful? Ishimaru shook his head, instantly cancelling that thought from his mind. To use someone else's possessions without their permission was practically stealing, even if it was temporary. Someone took the book from him, their hand warm, and Ishimaru pulled away, looking up at Mondo. Mondo grimaced slightly, exposing his sharp canines, and Ishimaru looked down at his feet. Then he glanced back up at Mondo, who was staring at him with his hands on his hips. Ishimaru turned away, muttering "Thank you."

Mondo said something under his breath and leaned against the desk where the books were stacked. Ishimaru glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, taking a few more books without meeting his gaze. Instead of trying to put the books up again that were too out of his reach, he stacked them separately, planning to do them last when he came up with a solution. But to his surprise, when he put away a few more he saw Mondo pick up the books and start putting them away silently. Ishimaru glanced at a book with a dog on it's cover and put it away without a second glance, but slowed down his work when he saw Mondo looking at the book and picking it up. He hardly managed to look interested, but Ishimaru saw his eyes were lit with curiousity. Mondo lifted his head to meet Ishimaru's eyes and snapped the book shut, putting it away hurriedly.

"You like animals?" Ishimaru asked.

"I guess. I have a dog."

Ishimaru nodded, surprised that someone like Mondo would actually keep a pet around and not use it for bait. Speaking of surprising behaviors…? "Don't you normally do gang-affiliated things on Fridays? Or any day of the week?"

Mondo rolled his eyes. "Not 'till it's later and Chihiro's done here. She's my friend, and I can't just let some thug beat the crap out of him, right?"

Ishimaru stood still, turning to stare at Mondo. "Isn't that what you are, though? A… thug?"

Mondo let out an annoyed huff, rolling his eyes again. "Thugs go solo, idiot. I have my whole crew to keep track of." They went back to working. Mondo was still silent after a few minutes, only commenting that Chihiro had yet to return. It had been around fifteen minutes since he'd left, and he was beginning to think either Chihiro had gotten hurt or he'd purposefully ditched the pair.

"S'bout time I'm heading off, soon. Chihiro better hurry." Mondo growled.

"I agree." Ishimaru mused out loud.  "I have to be going soon."

Mondo laughed softly, rolling his eyes. "To go and practice being a rule-worshipper again, eh?"

Ishimaru recoiled at his insult. "What about you? To go and rob some woman, huh?"

Suddenly Mondo slammed the book that he was holding onto the table and stalked over to Ishimaru, who had managed to stay stiff and straight, even with Mondo staring daggers into his face. "Hey, you! Crazy Diamonds are a hell of a lot of things, but we do not rob women! It goes against the honor code. Surely you've got one, too!"

Ishimaru let out a breath. "Seems that your 'honor code' also involves terrifying them to tears, too!"

Mondo stepped even closer. His breath smelled like cigarettes and Ishimaru took a small step backwards. "What're YOU trying to hint at here? You can't come near them without saying something about honor n' some crap. At least I can approach them with a normal conversation, even if it is for only a few minutes!"

Ishimaru put his own hands on his hips now, his eyes narrowed. "If you could even talk to a woman peacefully, what do you think of your earlier conversation with Togami and Fukawa and Chihiro?" Mondo sputtered indignantly, his face turning red. "You ain't heard nothing!"

Ishimaru shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, even though to be honest, he didn't understand the comments and wasn't there for over half of them. He only hoped his bluff would work. "Think what you will, Oowada, but I know what I heard!"

Mondo smirked. "And what'd ya' hear then, huh?"

At this, it was Ishimaru's turn to go red. "S-something about you and me!"

Suddenly the door opened and Chihiro walked in, looking mortified. "I could hear yelling from outside! What happened?"

Ishimaru and Mondo turned at the same moment, shouting the exact line; "He doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Pivoting back to each other, Ishimaru kept barking at Mondo, who growled and swore some more back to him before finally snapping again. "Just shut up, okay? You wouldn't understand half the crap that had been going on earlier today."


	3. In Which Ishimaru Has No Idea Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru and Mondo and Chihiro have a get-together in school and it is an awkward meeting. Then Ishimaru and Chihiro have a little chat later on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case u didn't know idk how to work these additional chapters on tumblr and also I'm an attention hog and I just keep shooting these out but this is my last pre-made one so the next one probably won't be out very soon I'm so sorry wow I'm going to go cry now

Ishimaru walked through the hallway briskly, walking quickly but never running. He patrolled the bathrooms and the endless corridors filled with lockers, listening for any fights or any inappropriate behaviors.

He suddenly heard a slam in a hallway far away and looked up, eyes narrowed. He heard whispers being snuck all around him about what could've happened; but the only word Ishimaru really noticed was: Mondo Oowada. "He better not have…!" Ishimaru stormed his way past the students, his boots clicking on the floor.

He heard another slam and looked left. Mondo was holding up a student that Ishimaru knew was Leon Kuwata, a student in his homeroom.

"Say that again, huh?! You little punk, say something!"

Unfortunately, Leon could only let out harsh breaths, seeing as Mondo was holding him up by his shirt's front and practically choking him.

"Release him, Oowada! Physical contact is not permitted in the school!"

Mondo turned his head to Ishimaru and growled softly under his breath. "Get outta here, hall monitor. This ain't got nothing to do with ya'." Leon tried to say something and Mondo shook him again.

Ishimaru put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath. "Oowada, you have five seconds to release him. Whatever he did does not deserve to be resolved with violence. One. Two. Three. Four…? Fi-"

Before he could finish Mondo dropped Leon, who hit the ground with an 'oof' sound. Ishimaru stared at Mondo, who’s face was turning red as he stared at him. "Get outta my way," he hissed, shoving Ishimaru aside without a second glance as he walked away.

Ishimaru moved between the students to Leon, who was grimacing and coughing loudly. They'd hardly ever spoken since the first time they did Leon confused Ishimaru's armband with a gang symbol or something just as horrible.

"Hey, man. Thanks for that." Ishimaru helped him get up and Leon dusted his pants off.

"Why did he do that, Kuwata?" Ishimaru asked, genuinely curious. Mondo had only yelled when Ishimaru had full-on provoked him.

"I was just messin' around with Fujisaki, man! I didn't know Mondo would rage on it!"

Ishimaru turned to see Chihiro staring at Leon, her bottom lip trembling. Then she turned and ran in the direction Mondo had gone. Leon scratched the back of his head, looking confused as he walked away.

Ishimaru strode over to the library doors, pulling them open silently. He wanted to figure out what had happened earlier today.

Chihiro was speaking softly and then cleared her throat when Ishimaru came in. "Hello, Kiyotaka!" she greeted cheerfully, like nothing had happened that morning.

"Greetings, Fujisaki. I have been wondering if you'd seen Mondo around?"

Chihiro lowered her eyes to her hands. "N-no… This is about earlier today, isn't it?"

Ishimaru nodded once, then, seeing Chihiro was close to tears, he held his hands up. "I won't punish him or anything, Fujisaki! I'm merely wanting to ask a few questions. Especially with what Leon said."

Chihiro looked up at Ishimaru. "He said me and Mondo should hook up," she whispered in a small voice.

Ishimaru was thinking. "Hook up?" he repeated. "I don't think I understand."

Chihiro let out a soft laugh and nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes with one hand. "Get together."

Ishimaru narrowed his eyes, getting more and more confused by the second. "Aren't you already together?" he asked.

Chihiro began giggling. "Go out on dates. Romantically…?"

Realization dawned in Ishimaru's eyes and he blinked, feeling his face warm up until he was positive it was pink. "Oh. Of course." Ishimaru looked down at his boots. "I would have thought you wouldn't have minded, though?" he questioned.

Chihiro sighed, nodding. "I didn't mind all that much, I guess? I know that's what a lot of people think between me and Mondo, but I don't like him like that." Chihiro blushed and looked down again. "What do you think of Mondo, Kiyotaka?"

Ishimaru was surprised at the question. "I think he's an…all right student." Obviously, Ishimaru did not think of Mondo so highly. He wanted to say something else.

"Kiyotaka, but I wanna know," Chihiro sang, smiling. "I can tell you can't stand him. Why?"

Ishimaru took a few minutes to consider the question, then began talking rapidly: "He's too loud. He can't keep his mouth shut for more than a few minutes at a time, and even then I can't stand it because his language is like a dog's and he doesn't even notice. He's always breaking rules, too! Rules are meant to make people safe, and he crosses over them all without a second thought. Oowada's too violent; one little slip-up and he could probably attack someone someday, which I would not be surprised if he did because it's against the rules to have physical contact with someone, and he would probably want to break that rule!" For a few more minutes Ishimaru ranted freely about all the little things that annoyed him about Mondo. Chihiro only sat and nodded every few times, murmuring in agreement at several points. At last Ishimaru ended with a very loud, "And that is why I dislike Mondo Oowada!"

Chihiro nodded again, pursing her lips as she thought. "I didn't know you felt that way about him, Kiyotaka."

Ishimaru, who had begun pacing, stopped, staring at Chihiro. "Well, of course. He's a delinquent and I refuse to accept any reasons for his wild behavior in school. Why? What were you thinking?"

Chihiro giggled suspiciously, smiling and looking down again. "Many people would think that you two could 'share chemistry'."

What did she mean, share chemistry? "Are you talking about our schedules? I can assure you that me and Oowada do not have the same chemistry class, Fujisaki. In fact, I doubt he's gone to school long enough to know where the classroom is."

Chihiro sighed, standing up to start putting books away on the shelves. "People could consider you and him cute, you know."

Ishimaru narrowed his eyes  at Chihiro, surprise in his expression. "People think that Mondo Oowada, leader of a gang, is cute?!"

Chihiro was looking more and more like she wanted to laugh. "We just explained hooking up, right?" At Ishimaru's nod, Chihiro continued. "Well, if two people look cute together, it's like others think they should hook up and then become-"

Ishimaru cut her off. "Are you saying…are you saying me and him should become romantically involved?" he asked,in a loud whisper.

"Well, you don't have to! It'd be pretty cool though, huh?"

Ishimaru began shaking his head. "Oowada and me… The thought makes me shiver. He's going to murder me if he ever finds out we talked about this, Fujisaki!"

Chihiro shook her head, taking some more books to put away. Ishimaru began helping her absentmindedly. "I already talked with Mondo about that."

Ishimaru dropped the book he was holding, startled. "What did he say?" he asked, almost excited.

"Oh, lucky for you, he laughed it off. Said he could hardly imagine it, either!"

Ishimaru stayed silent for a few minutes. What was wrong with him? Was this…disappointment? No, of course not. He didn't care whether Mondo liked him or not. He put another book away and looked down at Chihiro. "Is that what you were talking about on Friday?" he asked. Chihiro nodded, shrugging. Ishimaru felt his face turning red. How had he missed that? And Mondo had…laughed? Well, Ishimaru didn't care. He didn't need a volatile gang leader's approval, anyways.

He finished putting away the last books on the shelves and stood still for a few minutes, thinking. "I'm going to go now, Fujisaki. It was nice to help out, but Oowada might come and…"

Chihiro's green eyes turned to stare at him. "Oh? Okay, Kiyotaka. Be safe!"

Ishimaru headed out, getting on his bike to ride back. He was about to head into his house when he heard a loud mechanical growling sound nearby. Motorcycles. He put his bike away in the shed and looked from the doorway as a group of motorcycles drove past. He could have sworn seeing Mondo in the front.

 


	4. In Which Parties Are Invited To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon comes around again, Chihiro and Mondo chill in the library, and Ishimaru realizes that he's not as independant as he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha I'm making goals to have at least 1500 words per chapter so I actually think I can do one every few days if I really focus !

"Hey, Kiyotaka, my man!"

Ishimaru felt a hand clap onto his back and stiffened. "No physical contact is permitted in the school," he warned, and they removed their hand quickly.

"Sorry, man!" He turned to stare at Leon, who was grinning suspiciously.

"Do you need something, Kuwata?" He asked calmly.

"Nah, man! I was wondering if you wanted to go to my party this Friday?"

Party? "Why are you inviting me?" Ishimaru asked, turning to close his locker.

"Eh, well, a few people might get outta hand. I was hoping I could have a dude watching my back! You know, make sure nobody's trashing the house, no bothering the neighbors, totally not picking fights, right!"

Ishimaru nodded. "It would be best to have someone enforcing the rules! I will go to your party!"

Leon grinned, patting his back again but pulling away before Ishimaru said anything about it. "See you then, man!" Leon bounced away.

A party…? Ishimaru had never been to one. He nodded, narrowing his eyes determinedly and going to his next class.

Meanwhile, back in the school library...

Chihiro put away another book, watching Touko and Mondo out of the corner of his eye. They didn't speak to each other much, but on and off Touko had a… personality change, and Mondo was liable to walk around and start misplacing books and messing with the other students in the room at any given moment.

"You going to the library on Friday? Nobody's gonna be there, y'know."

Chihiro shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm going to the party!"

Mondo didn't say anything, and when Chihiro glanced over, he realized Mondo was gritting his teeth and nodding. "Leon's?" he asked.

"Yes! He asked if I wanted to go-"

Mondo cut him off. "After what he said last week, you're just going to toss it out of the window and go?" Mondo asked, sounding annoyed.

"Mondo, it's not good to hang onto a past incident for so long."  Mondo's gaze turned icy. Chihiro gasped, covering his mouth in shock. "No, no, I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that…"

Mondo nodded, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, letting out a loud sigh. "I know, Chi. Still. Do you know who else is going to the party?"

Chihiro stood still, thinking. "He invited most everyone I know. Aoi and Sakura are going, too, so if I need to I'll stick with them!"

Mondo shook his head. "I'm coming, too."

Chihiro practically cringed at the words. No doubt something would happen there, and Chihiro could almost swear it was going to be bad.

 

Ishimaru saw Chihiro walking towards him when he closed his locker. "Good afternoon, Fujisaki!" he greeted enthusiastically. Chihiro giggled and waved to him. From behind her Ishimaru noticed Mondo approaching as well and stiffened, turning to his locker and messing with the lock for a few seconds, hoping he looked distracted enough so that Mondo would ignore him.

"Are you going to be busy on Friday?" Chihiro asked. "I need someone to watch over the library for me."

Ishimaru sighed. "I have to apologize, Chihiro, but I'm going to be busy on Friday."

At this, Mondo spoke up. "Oh, really? Doing what, reading handbooks and all that crap?"

Ishimaru turned to stare at Mondo, annoyed with the snarky comment. Why did Mondo have to be so harsh about rules? "No! I'm going to a schoolmate's party, if you really wanted to know."

Chihiro's eyes brightened. "Leon's?" Ishimaru nodded, pleased with himself. "I'm going, too! Leon invited me." She paused and glanced in Mondo's direction. "Mondo's coming, too."

He nodded from behind her, grinning. "Why'd he invite you, a total pet, outta all the other freaks he could have from this school, I'll never know." Mondo remarked, nodding at Ishimaru, who suddenly felt… small.

He blinked, forcing himself to relax. Mondo was only doing this to annoy him, of course. "Because someone needs to be responsible, and if no one else will, then I must!"

Mondo laughed at that, nodding. "Sure you do."

Chihiro cleared her throat, obviously trying to keep the conversation from turning sour. "All right then, Kiyotaka! Well, if you know anyone who isn't going to be doing anything on Friday, can you tell me? It'd be horrible for the library to close because there was nobody there to take care of it..."

Chihiro sounded so heartbroken about it, Ishimaru was nodding before she finished. "Of course,  Fujisaki! You can count on me--" at this, he paused momentarily to glare at Mondo “-to do it!"

Mondo glared at him darkly for a few seconds before huffing loudly and walking away, Chihiro walking beside him.

Ishimaru glanced up as Togami strode past him, Touko following eagerly. "Byakuyaaa," she whined desperately. "I'm not going to that peasant's party. Go by yourself. I'm going to the library."

Ishimaru held his hand up. "Togami, may I speak to you for a second?" Togami rolled his eyes, glancing at his watch and nodding. "Make it quick. I'm on a busy schedule."

Ishimaru nodded. He was one of the few people who Togami didn't openly despise. "Of course. Fujisaki is not going to be present at the library this Friday. It's scheduled to be closed unless someone else can watch over it."

Togami nodded again, looking miffed. "I'll volunteer! I'll do it, Togami, for you!" Fukawa exclaimed, her eyes wide open behind her glasses. "Ugh. Fine. Just don't bother me when you get there." Fukawa nodded quickly, still standing behind him like a lovesick puppy. Togami began walking away, listening to her speaking, and Ishimaru saw the corner of his mouth twitching.

He watched them go and felt a strange coldness in himself. Even Togami had Fukawa to hang out with, even if he didn't act like he liked her to her face. Most everyone in his classes had friends. As much as he hated it, so did Mondo-his whole gang and Chihiro looked after him. Frustrated that he actually cared about it all, Ishimaru shuffled to his classroom, his earlier spirit drained from him.

Ishimaru glanced up from his lunch as someone sat down in front of him. It was Maizono, a nice girl who he'd spoken to several times previously. "Good afternoon, Sayaka," he greeted, slightly suspicious.

"Hi, Kiyotaka!" She put down her lunch tray, wrinkling her nose at the food on it, if anyone could call it that. "You seemed down today. What's wrong?"

Ishimaru glanced at her, surprised that anyone had noticed-and then hoping nobody else did. "It's nothing, Sayaka."

She didn't look convinced. "What's got you upset? Please?"

Ishimaru was about to shake his head again, but he realized that he didn't want to keep it all to himself. And out of nearly everyone in the school, Maizono was one of the few he could trust with most of his secrets. Ishimaru thought for a few seconds, unsure how to tell her without embarrassing himself. "It seems everyone is in a group nowadays and I just feel…"

She smiled at him, her blue eyes shining with understanding. "Alone?"

Ishimaru nodded, relieved that he didn't have to say anything. "We've got a lot of time left for us for that, Kiyotaka! I'm sure you'll find someone who you'll like!"

He nodded. "Even the most troublesome delinquents or coldest students have someone. Am I doing something that is keeping me from being like them?"

Maizono laughed, shaking her head. "Of course not! You just need to mingle with the other students outside of school! Then they'll know that you're a nice guy!"

Ishimaru nodded again, smiling. Ishimaru heard someone calling Maizono's name and turned. The people she normally hung out with, Junko and the some girls, Celes, even, were waving her over. "If you want, Kiyotaka, I can eat with you today?"

He shook his head. "Thank you for your offer, Sayaka, but I would be interrupting your lunch schedule. Enjoy it with your friends." He smiled, hoping she wouldn't want to stay. To be honest, Ishimaru just felt tired and wanted a few minutes to himself.

"Okay, Kiyotaka. See? You don't even need to try to make friends! You'll have a ton before you know it!" And with that, Maizono stood and walked away, singing softly.

Ishimaru nodded, narrowing his eyes determinedly as he finished his sandwich. He felt like he was being watched and looked up. Mondo was watching him from a table in the back, nodding slowly. When he realized that Ishimaru was staring back at him, he waved once and Ishimaru hesitantly raised his hand in a greeting. Chihiro waved back as well, motioning for Ishimaru to join them. Mondo sat up quickly and grabbed Chihiro's hand, talking too quietly for Ishimaru to hear. Ishimaru sighed to himself and glanced up again. Mondo was talking normally to Chihiro, hands behind his head and feet propped up on the table. He looked around the room. Fukawa was whispering about something to Togami. Aoi and Sakura were laughing together. Mondo and Chihiro were talking together. Even people like Yamada and Hagakure were in their own groups. Ishimaru lowered his head, focusing on his hands.

He didn't like being so alone. 


	5. In Which Parties Are Ruined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru ends up going to the party, but a bad scrap between Leon and Mondo end him with more than embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow im so sorry i suck gomen gomen idek it'll get better i swear i just panicked trying to get this done before 12 and one minute is lEFT OHNO

Ishimaru stopped his bike in front of the driveway, beginning to feel slightly nervous. He should have researched parties last night, but now it was too late. There were lights coming from the house and he could hear people's voices. He propped his bike up against the hedges in the front and walked up the stairs to the front door. Overall, it looked like a splendid house. Ishimaru figured that Leon's talent as an advanced baseball player would have been giving him more than spare change, but up till now, he didn't realize just how much. Asides from the house, there were several sports cars in the driveways. He knocked loudly and someone opened the door. It was Leon himself, and he looked relieved that Ishimaru had shown up.

"Hey, man! Come on in. I was beginning to think you didn't make it." He walked in, feeling stiff and uncertain.

"Just hang out, man. Don't look like this is a garbage house! I payed good cash for it to look nice!"

Maizono came from behind Leon and grabbed his hand. "Everyone's heading to the basement to sing!" Leon grinned, glancing at Ishimaru and nodding.

She stopped and her eyes widened at the site of Ishimaru. "Oh, hey, Kiyotaka! I didn't know you were coming here!"

Ishimaru whispered a greeting. "Come with us! Nobody's going to be on the top floor for a bit. Leon, come sing with me!" Leon laughed at that, beginning to walk away with her.

"Sure! Follow me, Kiyotaka!" 

 

Ishimaru followed them down to the basement and saw many of his classmates already, even though the party had officially started when he had gotten there, at exactly 7. Celes was sitting on a couch holding a cup and talking to-surprisingly-Yamada. Hagakure was talking to Aoi and Sakura. Even people like Kirigiri were there, nodding at something Naegi was saying. Maizono ran with Leon up to the raised platform in the middle of the room and someone began a music track. He grabbed Maizono's hand and they began singing along, laughing more than doing anything else.

Ishimaru watched tentatively by the side of the room, slightly interested in all the activity. He heard a familiar giggling and looked up, seeing Chihiro and Mondo by the other side of the room. Caught off guard, Ishimaru ducked his head, hoping they didn't notice him. Unfortunately, it was too late. He heard a small voice call his name out and glanced up to see Chihiro waving. She began bouncing towards him, dragging an obviously-annoyed Mondo behind her.

"Kiyotaka! I didn't think you were going to show!"

As annoyed as Mondo looked, he nodded once, looking almost impressed. Ishimaru nodded, murmuring a hello and listening to Chihiro talking. "Touko's watching over the library. She seemed happy about it, too! I think she'll be volunteering on days when I'm too busy to come and help."

Ishimaru nodded. "Ch. That girl's insane." Ishimaru tightened his hands into fists. "It's not nice to be rude to your peers, Oowada. It will come back to you in the future." Mondo smirked, shaking his head. The song that had been playing ended. Leon looked up at Ishimaru and hopped off the 'stage', coming over to him. "Hey, man! And, err, Mondo. I didn't know you guys were friends?" Leon said in a questioning tone, laughing nervously. "Friends? With this pet? Hell no!" Leon laughed, nodding and looking relieved. Ishimaru thought about that, and it all came together in an instant. Leon was afraid that Mondo was going to do something to him. And the way Mondo was clenching his hands tightly, Ishimaru could see why. Anyone could tell Mondo was itching to get his hands on Leon. "I l-like your party, Leon," Chihiro said softly, smiling tentatively. "Thanks, man! I mean, girl, of course." Chihiro blushed darkly at that. Mondo nodded. "But hey, uh, Chihiro. I was wondering, you know, since you aren't dating Mondo here, maybe you'd like to come with me out somewhere? Y'know, like an apology dinner, right? It's not even a date!" Chihiro looked like she was frozen solid. Ishimaru stepped forward, out of the corner he was standing in and towards Leon. Leon waited, realization dawning on his face that what he'd said was clearly very wrong. Ishimaru pulled him back a few feet. Mondo was eerily silent. In fact, the whole room was. It seemed everyone had begun to notice what was going on in the corner of the room. "I'd, ah, rather not, Leo-" Mondo cut Chihiro off in a dark voice. "Is that all you brought Chihiro here for? An easy date?" Mondo turned slowly to face him. "Mondo, please, you don't need to do anything, it was just an honest question!" Chihiro's voice was pleading with him, but it seemed the hard-headed teen was going to ignore even his friend. He pulled his fist back and Ishimaru moved in front of Leon, pushing him away as Mondo's hand came back. He felt like everything was going in slow motion, but it was too fast to recall exactly the length of time when he realized Mondo didn't even notice that Ishimaru had swapped places with the Leon and was prepared to take the blow if it meant protecting a classmate from harm. Mondo's hand connected with Ishimaru's jaw and there was a loud thump as Ishimaru fell back, practically flying a few feet backwards and hitting the ground hard on his rear. Mondo had aimed badly, punching him by his mouth on his jaw. Mondo let loose a flurry of swears, too many for Ishimaru to try and count on both his hands and his feet. He felt almost numb, but the pain was hard-set on staying with him, and soon he felt tears in his eyes.They spilled down his cheeks before he could tell himself not to cry. There was a salty taste in his mouth and he knew he was bleeding. Ishimaru sobbed once, holding his jaw in his hands, and then people began to react. Leon pulled Ishimaru back and Kirigiri helped him up to sit on the couch beside Celes and Yamada. Through his shallow breaths, Ishimaru could hear people talking. "Mondo, what the heck?! Why did you hurt Kiyotaka?" Aoi shouted. Ishimaru was too wrapped up in his pain to hear his reply. Sakura came forward to Ishimaru. "I've been around plenty of fights to know what is serious," she said in a calm voice. She pressed against the sore spot and Ishimaru pulled away quickly. "It will leave a bruise for several days," Sakura said. "But nothing dangerous." Leon's voice could be heard then. "Mondo, what the hell, man!? Can't you even try to see who you're hitting?" Mondo's voice came out in a shout and Ishimaru looked up through his tears. "It was a fuckin' accident, you shit! Maybe if you were a coward when you should be I wouldn't have had a damn reason to hit him and fuck my hand up with it!" Mondo was holding his hand to his chest and practically roaring. "I-if you don't mind, I'm going to g-go," Ishimaru whimpered. "Th-thank you for the party, Leon." He didn't want to stay here anymore, and he still had to go clean out the blood that kept pooling in his mouth. He walked past Mondo quickly, ignoring Chihiro's 'Wait!' and a few people's offers to ride him themselves. He walked out alone, pulling his bike away from the bushes. He didn't ride it, knowing that he was putting himself in danger if he decided to go riding half-blinded by his tears.

 Somehow he had managed to find the way to his house and was about to fall on his bed and sleep when he paused. He couldn't face Chihiro and Mondo now. It wasn't out of embarrassment, he didn't think, just… he wanted to avoid the situation as much as possible. He remembered that he had to clean out his mouth and went to the bathroom. There was an ugly bruise forming already, and Ishimaru was glad that the dark purple was the worst of the damage. If he'd gotten a tooth knocked out or anything worse, then he would have something serious to worry about. It looked like Mondo had punched him hard enough to bust his lip as well on the inside, and Ishimaru drank some water and spat it out, closing his eyes at the sight of the blood in the sink. It was hardly even eight o' clock. If he hurried, he could return the books to the library, while Fukawa was still there, and not have to suffer with the awkwardness of talking to Chihiro or Mondo with a purple face. His parents weren't home yet, often at work until twelve or later, anyways. He took his books from his desk and hesitated. It truly wasn't safe to head out at a time like this. He was basically offering himself to be beaten up by anyone who felt like it. Ishimaru wiped his nose with some tissues from the bathroom and pulled on a coat. He would walk to the library, drop the books off, and be done for the night. And weekend, he remembered, groaning. He'd done all his homework before he had left for the party, and now he wouldn't have anything to distract him from his problems for the next two days. Ishimaru tucked the books under his arms and walked out the door, locking it behind him. He began walking quickly towards the direction the library was in. 

The meeting at the library was quick. Togami was sitting at one of the chairs, ignoring Touko as she spoke tirelessly to him. She broke off when Ishimaru walked in. "Greetings to the library! How can I-what happened to you?" At this, even Togami looked up and snorted at Ishimaru's appearance. "What did you do, get mugged on the way here?" Ishimaru tensed up, feeling his lower lip quiver. "N-no, not exactly. Mondo is not very good at stopping his blows." Touko took the books from him and sighed, nodding gravely. "You should avoid someone like him! I know Byakuya does, right? No one would mess with him, anyways, ha!" Togami smirked at that. "Of course, Touko. I wish you two a safe goodnight," Ishimaru said, leaving before Touko would start swooning over Togami while he was in the room.

That night, Ishimaru fell onto his bed, having changed into his pajamas and brushing his teeth, even if his mouth hurt on one side. He wanted to sleep, but he was still too worked up about what had happened earlier. Mondo rarely shouted at anything, and Ishimaru was still unnerved by how furious he'd gotten. His face still hurt, too, even when he wasn't touching it. His mouth still tasted had a rusty tinge to it as well, since it had never stopped bleeding entirely. Ishimaru closed his eyes tightly, annoyed at himself that tears fell from his eyes and his shoulders heaved with every choked sob. However, the exhaustion of crying so hard got to him and in the end, he fell asleep. 


	6. In Which People Are Caught Skipping And Not Get In Trouble Maybe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day at school continues normally-almost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whisper* I'm tired hha forgive me for it (yurushite yurushite etc. thats a song line if u didnt no) plus I was rereading my chapters and the chapter summaries really miss a lot and they suck anyways hha sorry

Ishimaru woke up, feeling confused when he realized that sunlight was streaming in through his window. Then he remembered why he was sleeping so late. As of Friday night, he'd embarassed himself and he did not want to deal with Mondo anymore, anyways. The bruise he'd given him still hurt whenever Ishimaru touched it, and it was just as purple as it had been on Friday. His parents hadn't even noticed his sulking, being busy, but he didn't care for that. In fact, Ishimaru was relieved that they hadn't noticed; it was embarrassing to have a son who couldn't defend himself in a fight. Ishimaru sighed, dropping his head on his pillow again. He heard the doorbell ringing downstairs and got up, peeking out through the curtains. There were no cars in the driveway. That meant two things; his parents weren't home, and whoever was downstairs had walked or ridden a bike. Unless they'd hidden their car. Ishimaru doubted the last option, and anyways, it was rude to leave someone standing at a door when he was available to answer it. He got up quickly, hearing the person ringing the bell again. He ran down the stairs, careful not to slip when he reached the first floor, and threw open the door. "Good morning!" he greeted, smiling. "How can I-" He broke off, staring down at Chihiro. "Kiyotaka! I knew I had the right house!" Ishimaru nodded, self-consciously putting a hand on his cheek. Chihiro's dark eyes stared up back up at him innocently. "Uhm, come in, Chihiro, if you want to?" He stepped back, feeling awkward without his uniform on. "Thank you!" Chihiro stepped inside and she hesitated. "Shoes on or off?" Ishimaru shrugged, thinking. He wasn't used to having anyone, especially not other high schoolers, inside his house. "If you'd like, you can take them off." Chihiro shook her head. "I won't be staying long, actually." Ishimaru led her to the kitchen, relieved that there wasn't leftover breakfast on the counters. He'd managed to come downstairs long enough to eat a piece of toast before going back to sleep. "Ah, if you don't mind me asking, Chihiro, why are you here?" Ishimaru asked hesitantly. Chihiro pulled herself onto a chair and stared intensely at Ishimaru. "We need to talk," she said solemnly. "Why? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, suddenly worried. "No, no! It's not that. You're fine." She looked almost embarrassed suddenly. Ishimaru stood still. "It's about Mondo." He narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't want to hear anything coming out of his mouth. I can hardly speak out of mine without feeling pain, either." Chihiro nodded. "But he's sorry!" she exclaimed. "He told me so." Ishimaru stared at her with his red eyes. He didn't have a reason not to believe Chihiro "Maybe he told you that to keep you from being upset with him," he reasoned. "What… you don't believe him?" Chihiro sounded heartbroken. "Of course I… no. I'm sorry, Chihiro, but I don't have a reason to believe him for anything." Chihiro nodded, looking sad. "Right. But he really does feel bad about it, Kiyotaka. He won't say it out loud, except for when I wouldn't stop asking, but he's mad at himself for it." Ishimaru looked down at his feet. "Oowada… he cares about you, right?" Chihiro nodded. "And the gang, too. Ever since Daiya…" The name didn't ring a bell in Ishimaru's head. "Daiya?" he repeated. "You don't know?" Ishimaru shook his head, getting more and more confused by the second. In fact, he was still drowsy from waking up just a few minutes ago. "I think it's best if Mondo told you that story himself, sometime. I don't want him to get mad at you for anything." Chihiro got off the chair and smiled cheerfully. "If you ever want to hang out, Kiyotaka, I'm at the public library." Ishimaru walked to the door and opened it for Chihiro. "Unless Oowada's there," Ishimaru mused out loud. "I guess so, Kiyotaka. Well, I'll see you at school, at least. I hope your bruise clears up by then! Bye!" And with that, the tiny Chihiro was bouncing away, down the sidewalk. "Be careful! Don't trip!" Ishimaru called out after her.

"Hey, man! How're ya' doing? Eeh, yikes!" Ishimaru turned to stare at Leon. He had hoped that the bruise was going to clear by the time Monday came around, but it still was a vivid purple color. He could hear people whispering around when he walked past them, and it embarrassed him to be so 'popular' for all the wrong reasons. "He really knocked you up Friday, didn't he? Sorry about that, too, man. I didn't even know what was going on till you flew over my head. Jesus, Mondo needs to take a chill. I don't even like Chihiro! Maizono's got it all going on, y'know? How hard would it be to say 'no' or something? And you didn't even get to experience a full and official Leon Kuwata, future high school level musician celebration! It was a hell of a party, too!" Ishimaru nodded. "I'm gonna hold another one in a few weeks. Maybe you'll come to that one, since, y'know, I'm sure as heck not inviting Mondo again. Maybe not Chihiro, either, since I didn't invite Mondo anyways and he just came with her." Ishimaru nodded. "I'll pass on your offer, Kuwata. I don't believe that, er, parties are my 'thing'. But invite Chihiro and Mondo, if you please! I don't want to make an inconvenience for the pair because I was being foolish one night." Leon shook his head, chuckling as he ran a hand through his red hair. "Sure, man. I gotta head out to class, but I'll see you around!" Leon walked away after that, high-fiving dozens of students on his way to his next room. "Physical contact is not allowed, Kuwata!" Ishimaru called after him. "Sorry, man!" were the last words he heard as Leon turned a corner and disappeared. Ishimaru heard someone call his name and looked left to see Maizono watching him, wincing. "That looks painful," she said, motioning to his cheek. "I hardly feel it anymore," Ishimaru lied. "I saw what happened. I'm a little sad that Leon wanted to go on a date with Chihiro, though… I thought he liked me, for a second." Ishimaru could tell that it was really getting on her. "Of course he does! He was only asking Chihiro as an apology. Who wouldn't want to go out for something to eat in return for saying 'I forgive you'? Leon does care about you though, Sayaka. I guarantee that!" Maizono laughed, looking relieved and hopeful. "You really think so?" When Ishimaru nodded, Maizono giggled. "Maybe if Mondo asked you that question, you'd be just as weirded out as I am." Ishimaru recoiled. "Ask me out for dinner? Does he even eat anything other than motorcycle gas and cigarettes?" Maizono laughed again. "Heyo, Maizono! We don't have all day. Let's go!" Junko waved her arms wildly at Maizono, her sister Mukuro waiting patiently. "Oh, yeah. I'll be going now, Kiyotaka. Byebye!"

Ishimaru didn't have any classes with Chihiro and Mondo, and he didn't know that Mondo hadn't shown up to school until he was about to sit down alone and noticed Chihiro was sitting alone as well, looking close to tears. "Fujisaki? Is something wrong?" he asked, coming to stand next to her. "No, Kiyotaka. I don't think so, at least." Ishimaru waited a few seconds, seeing if anyone was going to join her. Maybe Mondo was just late. Delinquents like him always had an excuse to be elsewhere. "Where's Oowada?" he asked, finally sitting down. "I don't know!" Chihiro exclaimed suddenly, her eyes wide. "Even if he was sick, he would have texted me, or something, but he won't reply when I message him. This is really bad, Kiyotaka!" Ishimaru hesitated. He didn't want to pry in anyone's business to help them-especially Mondo's. But Chihiro was about to cry, and he didn't want to see the girl shed tears over anything, not even a gang leader like Mondo. "I think he's embarrassed, maybe?" he said suggestively. "About the whole ordeal?" Ishimaru nodded. There was a buzz from Chihiro's lunchbox and she reached for it, glancing at Ishimaru. "Answer it," he said, closing his eyes. "It is permitted to check phones if they are turned on." Chihiro nodded, closing her eyes for a second. "Thank you, Kiyotaka," she whispered gratefully, then took her phone out of her lunch box and checking it. "He said he's… just outside the school?" Chihiro said, looking confused. Ishimaru narrowed his eyes. He knew there was a park across the street from the school. Ishimaru stood up quickly. "Where are you going, Kiyotaka?" Chihiro asked curiously. "I will not permit another student to skip school because they do not 'feel like it' today! We have to go get him, of course!" Chihiro giggled, nodding and standing up. "We? Does that mean I get to come?" she asked. Ishimaru nodded gravely. He went to the front office, who, knowing what sort of a student he was, gave him permission to get Mondo from the park. Chihiro followed behind him, singing tunes to herself. The street was silent and Ishimaru crossed it, watching Chihiro intently to make sure she didn't stray far behind. He saw someone laying down on a park bench with a newspaper on their face. Ishimaru stormed over to it and snatched the newspaper up. "Ah, shit! Trying to get me blind, you-" Mondo's purple eyes focused on Ishimaru's face above him. "I suggest you get up now, Oowada," Ishimaru said stiffly, trying to look mad. Unfortunately, he could hear his voice shaking, and no doubt Chihiro and Mondo could, as well. He turned to look at Chihiro, who was biting her lip nervously. Mondo's breath caught and he sat up. "Sure. Sure, fine." Ishimaru instinctively put a hand on his cheek, where Mondo had probably seen the bruise. He felt his face burning and looked down, waiting for Mondo to stand up so they could go back to the lunch room. When they got back, Chihiro laughed nervously. "Ishimaru, do you want to eat with us today?" He shook his head quickly. "No, thank you, Fujisaki. I'm not in the mood to socialize today," he said quietly. Mondo sat down in the chair and propped his legs up on the table's edge. "No feet on the table, Oowada," he murmured. Mondo didn't say anything, only took them off. Ishimaru went to sit alone, eating his lunch silently, even though every bite made him feel like crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow mondo u didn't even get detenshun, u lucky swine


	7. In Which Restaurants Are Went To Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soup. And walks. And motorcycles and red hair and coats and all the normal things, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry for the huGE DELay wow you do not know how bad ive been feeling because i havent updated in forever and it's probably very choppy at the end but i rushed because wow i was so excited to almost have it done enjoy uwaah

Chihiro had a problem.

A colossal one at that that involved his best friend and his best friend's supposed enemy. And for all the programming Chihiro knew how to do, he couldn't seem to be able to make Kiyotaka and Mondo work together. Mondo was refusing to talk about Ishimaru whatsoever. Chihiro put down his laptop and turned to stare at Mondo, who was flipping through the pages of a comic book.

"Mondo," he said tentatively.

"Hm." Chihiro stood up from his chair, stomping over to Mondo and gently pulling the book out of his hands.

"Hey, what gives?" Mondo said, sounding annoyed.

"Please pay attention to me!" Chihiro said pleadingly.

"Fine, fine. What do you want, Chi?" Putting his hands on his waist, Chihiro stared at Mondo with wide eyes. Mondo glanced at him and away again. Chihiro knew for a fact Mondo hated to be stared at, and he was going to use that to his advantage today. "What! What the hell, Chihiro? I already asked you what!"

Chihiro sighed, trying not to be upset with Mondo. "Mondo, please. You need to apologize to Kiyotaka."

Mondo sat up straighter. "Hey, didn't ya' already tell him I was sorry?" Chihiro nodded.

"Well, what'd he say?" Mondo actually looked interested in the answer.

"I'm sorry, Mondo, I tried. He didn't believe you said it." Mondo's face fell. Ishimaru, as hopeless as he was with relationships of people, (no offense intended from Chihiro; he was practically the same way) seemed to instantly know that Mondo hadn't said anything of the sort. Chihiro had lied and told Ishimaru to try and patch things up between them, but Ishimaru hadn't believed him for a second. It seemed that it would probably take a face-to-face meeting between the two before either spoke again.

"Well, he was the one who got in the way," Mondo protested weakly.

"Do we need to go over why that happened too, Mondo?" Chihiro said softly. "I can defend myself sometimes. That was one of those times."

Mondo's face turned pink and he looked at his feet, which were propped on the table. "Leon's a nice guy. I thought you two would like each other." Mondo shrugged. Chihiro knew he was right.

"We could all go to the movies together?" he suggested.

"What? Are you seriously still considering to do anything with him?" Chihiro nodded, proud of himself. "I texted him a while ago. We need to figure out to do something with him, because-"

The door to the library opened and a loud voice echoed. "Yo'! It's Leon!" He paused mid-step when he saw Mondo. "Uh, hey, man." Mondo nodded. Chihiro waved to Leon. "Hey, Chihiro!" Leon held his hand out for a high-five, which Chihiro barely managed to reach.

"Whattaya say, Chihiro? Are we going somewhere?" Chihiro blushed, giggling nervously.

"Well, ah, Leon, I didn't know what you liked doing, so me and Mondo were just talking about where to head. He's coming with us, if that's okay?" Mondo stared at Leon like he wanted him to object.

"Yeah! No hard feelings, right, Mondo?"

Mondo looked surprised for a second before looking around, nodding. "Sure." He didn't sound as hostile as he'd been earlier. Chihiro beamed up at them.

"Where are we gonna go, then?" he asked. Leon ran a hand over his ginger hair as he thought. "There's a new restaurant that opened up in town. We can go there." Chihiro turned to look at Mondo, who shrugged, nodding.

"I could use something to eat."

Leon clapped a hand on his back. "That's the spirit! Let's go!" 

 

Ishimaru took another tentative spoonful of soup. It was hot enough to warm him up, but not enough to scald his tongue. The restaurant had recently opened in town, and now he was here, eating alone. There were a few other people in the restaurant, but the late crowd hadn't yet arrived. He sat back, thinking. Today two people had run past him in the halls, and though he'd followed them and gave them a speech about how dangerous it was to do so and their word that they wouldn't do it again, he only gave them a warning. Now, thinking back on it, he realized how easy he'd gone on them. "I should have given them a slip," he groaned out loud, pushing the bowl of still-hot soup besides him and dropping his head down on the table. He stayed like that for a few minutes. The door let out a ring as someone came in, but he didn't bother to look up until he heard their voice. "Yeah! Look at how great this place is already!" Ishimaru lifted his head and stared at Leon, Chihiro, and Mondo, whose backs were turned to him. He didn't move, eyeing Mondo. Leon was acting like himself, that much he could tell. That was a good sign, at least; Mondo wasn't trying to kill him. Yet. They sat down at another table across the room and Ishimaru sighed in relief, glad that they hadn't noticed him. Leon or Chihiro would invite him to sit with them, and Mondo... He didn't know what Mondo would do. He ate some more soup and felt someone watching him. He lifted his head, looking around. His red eyes landed on Mondo, who was staring at him. Ishimaru instintively ducked his head, staring at the bowl. He didn't want to leave without finishing it, but now it felt like he would be eating forever. He scooped some more into his mouth and finished it as fast as he could, which still took a few minutes. He did not want to be in here any longer than he had to be. Ishimaru sat still while the waitress collected his bowl and the money for it. He stood up quietly, trying not to be too loud. Ishimaru realized he'd probably looked ridiculous to anyone who didn't know what was going on, and he was glad that everyone was doing their own things, not looking at him. Unfortunately, Chihiro lifted her head and her eyes widened at the sight of Ishimaru. He pretended not to notice her, or the fact that Leon had called his name out, or even the face that Mondo was sitting there doing nothing at all and it was making him even madder. He stalked out the door, feeling his face burning. The door closed shut behind him and then he was left in almost complete silence, save for the few cars going past him. He heard the door open behind him and turned slightly, his eyes wide. "Yo', Kiyotaka! Are you walking?" Ishimaru turned, wishing he'd worn a coat or something so that Leon didn't know it was him when he'd spotted him in the restaurant. "Yes, Leon, I am." Chihiro stared at Ishimaru, a thoughtful look on her face. Ishimaru looked back up at Leon. "I can drive you, y'know!" Ishimaru shook his head quickly. Mondo would probably be coming outside soon, as well. "I'd rather walk, Leon. Drive safely. Don't text." Ishimaru turned, ignoring Leon when he called out to him one more time. Leon's red sportscar passed him and Chihiro waved from the front seat. Ishimaru raised his hand in a greeting and then sighed when they passed and he was left walking alone in the near-darkness. He heard a mechanical growling sound behind him and kept walking, figuring he didn't need to see who it was to know. "Do ya' normally do things alone like that?" Mondo asked, slowing down the motorcycle until it matched Ishimaru's pace. "I don't know what you mean, Oowada." He didn't want to talk to him, but that didn't mean that he had to be downright rude. "Y'know. Eating alone. Being alone in general. It gets dangerous after seven or so to be alone on the streets." Ishimaru huffed, feeling a cold wind blowing past him. He hugged himself tightly for a few seconds, trying to think of something to say. "You already told me that the first time you did this, Oowada." Mondo laughed softly, and Ishimaru glanced at him. He was leaning on his handlebars again, glancing at the road every few seconds to make sure he was going straight. "Guess I did." Ishimaru kept walking forward, casting a quick glance to see that Mondo was still with him. "Do you need something, Oowada?" he finally asked, breaking the silence. "Still didn't say anything," Mondo said. Ishimaru took a deep breath, trying not to feel impressed that Mondo remembered back to their conversation at the library when Chihiro had left them. Even he didn't remember the exact words they'd shared that long ago. "Why are you still here, then?" Ishimaru asked. "I already told you it's not safe to be alone when it's nighttime. I'd probably feel like crap if something happened and I could'a done something-" Mondo cut off suddenly, clearing his throat and looking away. "Something. Anything, really," he continued after a few seconds. Ishimaru stared at him for a minute, almost tripping over a crack in the ground when he looked away from the sidewalk in front of him. It was silent again. Soon they had reached Ishimaru's house and it was only then when he realized that Mondo hadn't spoken up again. "Ah, thank you, Oowada. There is no telling what could have happened if I'd walked alone!" He smiled, forgetting for a few seconds that Mondo had punched him, or that he still really hated him, or that Mondo knew where he lived and he could rob him any day now. "No problem, hall monitor. I'll be going now. See you around." He turned, revving up his engine, and Kiyotaka cleared his throat. "At school," he called out. "Huh?" Mondo glanced at him, confused. "I'll be seeing you at school tomorrow, Oowada. On time." Mondo laughed, nodding. "Sure. Night, Kiyotaka."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **i'm tryn'a edit my fics and i started here lol sorry 4 the wonk


	8. In Which People Get Flustered And Embarrassed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day at school Ishimaru realizes all is well for everyone but himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad for being so lazy so here's a two thousand word chapter (It sounds a lot longer that way) and a cliffhanger-thing ha, enjoy! By the way in case you didn't know, I love everyone's comments even if I update really slowly and I just wanted to say thank you for them!

Ishimaru watched as Mondo walked into the lunchroom and he sighed in relief. Mondo still hadn't apologized for punching him, but he had been showing up to school, which was a surprise to Ishimaru. Chihiro waved to Ishimaru from her table and he nodded once in acknowledgement of the little programmer. Leon patted Ishimaru's shoulder as he was passing by him and grinned. "Hey, man! If I'd known you were at the restaurant I'd have let you sit with us! We should all go grab a bite to eat later, am I right?" Ishimaru nodded. Leon walked away and Ishimaru was pleasantly surprised that he went to go sit down with Chihiro and Mondo. "Kiyotaka!" Maizono sat down in front of him, a small smile on her face. "You're looking a lot better!" Ishimaru smiled. "Indeed, Sayaka! I feel better than I have in several days, although… nothing has really changed, if I must be honest...?" Maizono put a finger to her lip in thoughtfulness. "Maybe it's just everyone's attitude changes! Did you notice Leon and Mondo aren't fighting? Now Leon's not always worried and Mondo's not getting mad!" Ishimaru nodded, glancing at the odd trio again. Chihiro was laughing at something Mondo had probably said, who had a proud smirk on his face. Leon's chest was heaving for breath but he was laughing all the same. Although Ishimaru hadn't spoken to Mondo since the other night, he didn't hate him. As much. Mondo was still a rule-breaking delinquent. It would have been crazy if Ishimaru didn't dislike him, right? But the more Ishimaru thought about it, the more he realized that no, he didn't hate Mondo as much as he thought he would. That ticked him off to no end. "...Kiyotaka? Are you listening?" He turned back to Maizono, embarassed. "Ah, no, Sayaka. I apologize. My thoughts were elsewhere." Maizono laughed, not bothered at all. In fact, she looked rather gleeful about something. "What?" Ishimaru asked, suddenly suspicious. "Oh, nothing. What're you thinking about, hm?" Ishimaru tried not to look back at Mondo. "Wh-what do you mean?" he asked, stuttering. "Well, you're either staring at Mondo, Leon, or Chihiro, but I'm no expert on long-distance vision. Who's the student you've got an eye on?" Ishimaru felt his face heating up before he could deny it. "I do not have my 'eye' on anyone," he said defensively. "I'm merely surprised that Oowada managed to show up today." Maizono smiled secretly, giggling. "What! I didn't say anything." Maizono was still laughing. "I knew it! You've got a crush on him, don't you?" Ishimaru was stammering more and more with every word he said. "N-no! Why would I? He's a troublemaker and I will not stand for him causing any more problems than he already has! I do not like him in that way!" Maizono shook her head, smiling innocently. "Of course not." Ishimaru heard a loud sigh behind him and turned, wondering who else could possibly hear him. Fukawa was looking at Ishimaru with dazed eyes. "Love has no boundaries, Kiyotaka, and no rules!" Ishimaru shook his head quickly, knowing he was probably as red as a tomato. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Fukawa. I would prefer if you didn't listen in to my conversations, either!" She nodded, sighing dreamily. "Sure, sure..." Togami passed her and she veered away, calling his name. Ishimaru turned and focused on the table in front of him. "Oh, she didn't mean it, Kiyotaka, I promise. Have you noticed how she's always following Byakuya? Poor Touko hardly knows which way is up and which is down!" Ishimaru nodded, understanding. Fukawa hardly noticed what was around her anymore. The other day he had come to the library and was forced to wait a few minutes while she chatted about Togami before she scanned his book. It seemed that Chihiro had split her duties with Fukawa in the public library. Ishimaru nodded, watching Togami sit down alone. Fukawa was about to sit with him and he said something loudly to her. She turned away, moping, but perked up when she saw the table besides his was empty. She sat down there instead and began chatting again to him, and Togami shook his head before eating his lunch. "Oh, Kiyotaka! Do you mind if me and Kyouko sit here? We need to talk about a project." Kirigiri was staring at Ishimaru calmly, and then, very slowly, turned to stare across the room to Mondo, nodding. "Ah, of course!" Ishimaru said, ducking his head down. "Cool! Thanks, Kiyotaka!" Naegi sat at the other end of the table with Kirigiri. "This is beyond horrible," Ishimaru groaned, covering his face. "Does the whole school think I am romantically attracted to Oowada?" Maizono patted his shoulder lightly, and he raised his head. "Cheer up, Kiyotaka! Before you know it, everything'll be better soon!" He sighed, staring over at Mondo again. "Of course, Maizono. But for who?" She laughed, shrugging. "Who knows? For everyone!" For all the enthusiasm that Maizono was showing to him, it wasn't spreading to Ishimaru. He took a sip from the bottle of water he had packed for himself and tightened the cap before packing away his lunch. "Okay, Kiyotaka. I'm going to go back to my table. I hope you figure something out for yourself. It's always sad to see a classmate being sad, right?" Ishimaru nodded, lifting his head and smiling at her. "Of course! It is also a distraction, and I cannot be a distraction to the class. Thank you, Maizono. I will consider all my options before I decide what to do next." Maizono laughed, standing up with her tray as she called him a goodbye over her shoulder. He watched her sit down, glad that at least someone ended up happy. Leon scooted out of his own chair suddenly and ran to her, and Ishimaru felt a twinge of  bleak happiness for the pair. He wasn't jealous, he didn't think; but then again, Ishimaru'd never been jealous for sure. He couldn't compare this feeling to anything else he was used to on any normal occasion. 

Ishimaru tucked the book underneath his arm and looked both ways several times before crossing the street, almost running to the other side. He had to return the library book before he would forget about it. He'd already finished his homework for the day. He had also managed to finish all of  the projects that were already assigned to his classes. In the end, he decided to go for a walk instead, and return the book along the way. "Kiyotaka! Hey, can I ask you something?" It was Naegi, running out of a house that Ishimaru had just passed. "Of course, Naegi. We are classmates! Of course you can ask me anything." Naegi laughed, nodding. "Great. Do you know when the school dance is coming up?" Ishimaru thought about it for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts. "In two weeks, on Friday." Naegi scratched the back of his head, nodding. "D'you think Kyouko would want to go with me?" he asked, almost nervously. "Kyouko Kirigiri? I do not see why she would refuse your offer, Naegi. You two have gotten very comfortable with each other." Naegi's face turned pink. "Heh, yeah. Maybe she just doesn't go to school dances, though." Ishimaru shook his head. From what he'd seen, Naegi was the only student to actually become positive friends with Kyouko Kirigiri, a watchful and quiet girl from several of his classes. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind going with you, Naegi." Naegi looked ready to burst with happiness. "I hope so! Thanks, Kiyotaka. I'll ask her tomorrow!" Naegi ran back before Ishimaru could say anything. Ishimaru was almost at the library when he saw a small shape running across the street. Was that Chihiro? Who was watching the library then? What if nobody was? He quickened his pace and tested the door. It was unlocked, and that in itself was different; Chihiro wouldn't forget to lock it. That meant someone was watching the library, and he groaned inwardly, figuring it was probably Fukawa. She was honestly a very nice person, just very enthralled with Togami. But there was nobody at the front desk when he walked in. Something hit him in the back of the head and he turned, looking for the attacker and the weapon. It was a paper ball and he bent down to pick it up. "H-hey! I thought you were Chihiro! Don't read that!" Ishimaru froze. A large hand came over his and snatched the paper from him. He looked up, eyes narrowed until he realized who he was staring at. Mondo crumbled the paper hurriedly, looking away. "Are you watching the library for Fujisaki?" he asked. "Yeah. I don't have a damn idea how to run half of the things in this room, though, so if you're waiting to check somethin' out you'll have to wait more."  Ishimaru only nodded. He remembered he was still mad at Mondo, or at least he had to act like it. Otherwise Mondo would think that he was getting soft on his duties and he would break more rules and then he would ignore Ishimaru and-"Are you even listening to me? For such a great student, you're havin' a tough time concentrating." Ishimaru looked back up at Mondo, letting out a sharp breath of annoyance. "Hey, what?" Ishimaru turned away, putting the book on the counter. He would wait until Chihiro was back before checking out another book. "Did I do somethin'?" Mondo stepped out in front of him and Ishimaru walked around, heading towards the door. "I'm talking to you, Ishimaru! What did I do?" Mondo's voice was getting angry and Ishimaru turned to face him. "It's what you didn't do, Oowada! I have been waiting for an apology since you so violently tried to assault Leon at his own party and I took the hit. For someone who pretends to care about an 'honor code' you have as little respect for others as much as I guessed! I mistook that you were something different, but you're nothing but a rebellious delinquent, like I thought at first!" Mondo looked taken aback with his words, taking a step backwards to give Ishimaru some space. Then his purple gaze softened. "What'd you take me for second?" he asked quietly. Ishimaru glared at him in the eyes. Mondo held his stare for a few seconds before looking down at his feet, scratching the back of his head. Ishimaru turned and stormed out of the library, glad that the door slammed shut behind him. It meant Mondo wasn't going to follow him. But a few seconds later he heard it open again and a voice call out from behind him. "Hey, wait. Kiyotaka!" The deep voice only made him walk faster. Mondo grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "Don't touch me, Oowada!" Ishimaru snapped, yanking away from his touch. Mondo let his hand hang in the air for a few seconds before he ran it over his hair. "Look, Kiyotaka. Ishimaru. About the party... I didn't mean to hit you. You know that, right?" Ishimaru hesitated, but nodded, feeling  shorter standing so close to Mondo. "And..." Mondo grit his teeth, looking around to see if anyone else was around. "And I'm really really..." he continued on in a much louder voice. Ishimaru stepped away, peeved that Mondo would start raising his voice for no reason. "Calm down, Oowada. If you don't want anyone to notice you apologizing you should consider keeping quiet." Mondo's eye twitched and he bent down to Ishimaru's height, his pompadour pressing against Ishimaru's forehead like it had so many weeks ago at their first scuffle. "I'm really sorry, Ishimaru! There. I said it, all right!?" Mondo turned away, slamming the library door closed behind him, before Ishimaru could say anything in return. He was left standing in the parking lot, wondering what had just happened. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm running a 5k tomorrow and going to a friend's house wow that means maybe no update tomorrow uwehhh ;-; I'll try when I head back, promise!


	9. In Which Rare Studying Happens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru is a lonely fellow in the cafe until someone shows up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and dropping kudos and all that! And nine chapters already wow I'm putting in a lot more work in this than I thought, right? (Plus over 10k words I've NEVER written this much! Are you as surprised as I am [because you should be]?)The chapter is looking different and a LOT neater and less clumped up because my new best frie-I mean, a really nice person is helping me with the spacing! (It's dragon_bagon go check her out she's really helping me out a lot uwu) So read this chapter and leave a kudos (I like saying that) and a comment if you want! Enjoy! ((Extra random note)) Double edit yeha there was only a little problem and it's fixed now have fun

As glad as Ishimaru was that Mondo had finally, finally apologized, he felt more miserable than he would’ve thought possible. Mondo hadn’t spoken to him since, and ignored him completely when Ishimaru went to the library and he was there. Now, with Maizono and Leon getting more and more ‘serious’ every day and Chihiro working on her projects when she wasn’t at the library, Ishimaru finally found himself sitting down inside the cafe by himself at a four-person booth. He ordered a small coffee for himself and was now drinking it. The cafe was small one, hardly even known about by the locals themselves, and Ishimaru was glad that when he visited he’d never seen any of his classmates in it.

He opened his textbook and notebook and began skimming over the chapter again, taking additional notes that he’d missed. The test was in a week and Ishimaru already knew the material front to back, but he couldn’t get anything lower than a hundred.

The door let out a soft jingle as another customer walked in, but he didn’t lift his head from his notes. They ordered in a voice too low for him to hear and he scribbled down another note, leaning his forehead against the pencil. He heard someone sitting down in front of him and looked up. Mondo was staring at his notebook.

“Holy shit,” he finally said, sounding impressed. “How the hell does someone take that many notes for ten pages?”

Ishimaru looked down at them. Was it a lot? He was used to it by now.

Mondo took a sip of the can of juice he’d bought, looking around. Ishimaru continued looking through the chapter, ignoring Mondo when he put his legs up beside him and continued watching Ishimaru work.

“Is there something you want to say, Oowada?” Ishimaru asked, hoping he didn’t sound angry. He didn’t want Mondo to avoid him again.

“I guess. Are you seriously learning all that for the test?”

Ishimaru nodded quickly. “Of course! It’s vital to my education and my grades.”

Mondo nodded, looking out the window. “S’cool that you care so much.”

Ishimaru looked up. He didn’t think Mondo even cared about what he did. “Are you going to study?” he asked.

“Me? Study? No. I’ll just wing it.” He hardly seemed to care about his grades, but his eyes dropped to Ishimaru’s textbook and notebook for a few seconds.

Ishimaru took a deep breath, clasping his hands together underneath the table. “Oowada, maybe we should study together sometime.”

Mondo sat up quickly. “What, you wanna help me study? Why?”

Ishimaru took his question into consideration. Mondo was already failing the class. Chihiro would be sad if she found out that Ishimaru could have helped Mondo pass it but didn’t.

“It would greatly improve your grade if you took some time to study-”

Mondo shook his head, holding his hand up. “What’s in it for ya’?”

Ishimaru finished the rest of his coffee and closed his textbook, putting his notebook on top of it. “A teacher of mine once said that the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone. If I want to get a perfect score I figured I would test the theory.” He turned to leave, embarassed to think that Mondo of all people would want study help.

“Hey, wait a minute!” Mondo tossed his can into the trash bin and followed Ishimaru out. He kicked his motorcycle’s stand back up and walked beside Ishimaru. “I’ll study with ya’ if we can do it at your place. My house is a dump.”

Ishimaru turned to stare at him. “Of course we can do it at my home, Oowada.” He kept walking and Mondo ran to catch up. “Right now?”

Ishimaru nodded. “Unless you would prefer a later date, Oowada. However, I am on a strict schedule and this is my designated study time for today, and I may or may not be studying the same thing tomorrow or the day after.”

Mondo ran a hand over his hair, nodding. “All right. Sure. But if all you teach me is crap I’m gone.”

****

~~~

****

“That’s all there is to it, Oowada.”

Mondo stared down at the sheet of notebook paper in front of him. “Holy crap. I think I get it. Sorta.”

He scribbled an answer down for the math question and Ishimaru looked over it. He nodded, proud that he actually managed to get Mondo to learn something. Since he’d come to his house, he was only partially paying attention, often blurting out something about getting to eat later or that he just didn’t understand.

“Excellent, Oowada! If you manage to get a passing grade on the test I am sure your friends would be impressed!”

Mondo snorted at that, but he nodded. “I’m tired as shit,” he finally said, cracking a small smile at Ishimaru.

“It is getting rather late,” Ishimaru agreed, closing the textbook with a slight snap. “We can continue this later if you would like, Oowada.”

Mondo shrugged, taking the notebook papers and crumbling them into small balls.

“How come you’re always callin’ me like that?” he asked, confusing Ishimaru.

“Like what?” Ishimaru stood up, his book tucked under his arm as he put his backpack besides the front door. A paper ball bounced off of his head and he turned, scowling at Mondo as he picked it up and threw it away.

“Y’know. ‘Oowada’. Like we’re still at school or somethin’.”

He stood up, stretching his arms as he walked to the door. “I didn’t think it bothered you. By now, it’s just a habit to me. Is something wrong with it?”

He stepped outside with Mondo, who had gotten to his motorcycle and was starting it up. “I guess not. ‘S just weird sometimes. Friends don’t call each other by their last names.”

Ishimaru heard his own breath catch at the word. “Is that what we are? Friends?”

Mondo nodded and said something, the starting roar of the motorcycle making him pause to be heard better.

“Yeah. ‘Course we are.”

Ishimaru smiled at him, his eyes wide with excitement. “Excellent! I will see you tomorrow at school, then?”

Mondo began a shrug, but changed his mind halfway and nodded. He pulled off of the driveway and Ishimaru clasped the book tightly to his chest and walked down the driveway to say one more thing to the biker.

“Good night then... Mondo.” Saying the name out loud made Ishimaru blink his red eyes in surprise at how easy it’d been.

“G’night, Kiyotaka. Maybe tomorrow we can, er...”

Ishimaru stared at him, waiting.

“N-nevermind! Good night!”

Mondo was off before Ishimaru could even comprehend what had happened.

****

~~~

****

“Kiyotaka! Hey!”

Ishimaru turned to see Mondo storming towards him and he inched away, alarmed. “Is something wrong-”

Mondo was talking again before Ishimaru could finish asking. “I fuckin’ passed the test! Shit, who knew studying was gonna actually help me on something? I sure as hell didn’t!”

He thrust the paper into Ishimaru’s hand. Although it was hardly above a C-, the teacher had written a ‘Well done!’ in the corner and Mondo was still grinning. “You really helped me out there, Kiyo!”

Ishimaru handed the paper back to him, proud that he’d managed to get Mondo to learn something during the few hours of studying they’d gotten done on Sunday. “I’m very happy for you, Oowada!”

Mondo took the paper back, cramming it into the pocket of his pants. “Yeah! Hey, you wanna sit with us today?”

Ishimaru glanced at the table, where Chihiro was already waiting. She waved at Ishimaru and smiled. Ishimaru raised a hand to her and nodded.

“I would not wish to disappoint you or Fujisaki or Kuwata!” He picked up his lunchbox and water bottle and followed Mondo to the table.

“Kiyotaka! You’re sitting with us today? Yay!” Chihiro giggled and Ishimaru sat down across the table from her.

A hand clapped down on his shoulder and he jumped, looking up at Leon. “How’d ya’ do it, man? Getting Mondo to study, hell, to pass a test, is like being able to get that Touko girl off of Byakuya. Near-impossible!”

Mondo smirked, sitting down besides Ishimaru on the left. Leon took the seat on the right.

“To think that once upon a time the great Mondo said ‘studying’s only for losers’! What does that make you now then, Mondo? One could say...” Leon leaned over the table, a dark smirk on his face. “A loser?”

Mondo clapped his hands in front of Leon, making him jump back in instinct. “Don’t get too cocky, Leon. I could still pound you if I feel like it.”

Leon laughed nervously, taking a bite of the cafeteria sandwich. “I wouldn’t forget that if I tried, man.” Chihiro laughed softly at that.

“How about you, Chi? What’s new at the library?” Mondo seemed genuinely interested.

“Oh, fine! Touko’s a natural pro with books. She likes to write and talks about it a lot, when she’s not talking about Togami.” Mondo nodded, rolling his eyes.

“Those two...” Leon nodded, taking a sip of his chocolate milk. “What a nice couple, right?”

Mondo let out a snort at that. “Sure.”

Ishimaru smiled as he watched them chat about nothing in specific. Was this what friends were for? To just talk and laugh and- “Yo, Ishimaru! Don’t fall asleep.”

He blinked, quickly sitting up again. “I wouldn’t dare, Oowada! You should expect more out of me.” Mondo rolled his eyes but smiled.


	10. In Which Things Are Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A friend loses their valuables and it's up to Ishimaru and Mondo to try and find it-even if they have to sneak into the school after hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you zilliky for the idea ha and for dragon_bagon for editing this uwu

Ishimaru sat down at his usual seat, wondering where Chihiro was. He’d seen her in the hallways earlier, and had even spoken to her, but she wasn’t sitting at the round table she normally did. Maybe she’d gotten checked out earlier, he thought, although he was highly doubtful of that.

Mondo sat down at the table and looked around, obviously for Chihiro as well.  He spotted Ishimaru and headed towards him. “Where’s Chi?” he asked, as if he expected Ishimaru to know.

“I’m not sure, Oowada.”

Mondo looked around again, over everyone’s heads to try and catch sight of the little programmer. “Leon!” Mondo said suddenly, grabbing him by his shoulder and whirling the redhead around to face them while he was passing by. “Where’s Chihiro?”

Leon looked surprised at the question, looking past Mondo to stare at the empty table with surprise in his icy blue eyes. “No idea, man. Maybe she’s just late, y’know?”

Mondo sighed but let go of Leon. “Fine. Sure.” He went to sit down again and Ishimaru went back to eating his lunch, still looking around for Chihiro. Mondo didn’t touch his food, Ishimaru noticed.

Finally Mondo stood up, his steps loud on the hard floor. “Kiyotaka. You’re comin’ with me.” Ignoring Ishimaru’s sound of protest, he grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him up so he was standing.

“Eh? Mondo, this is completely irrational! She’s probably in the library or just getting educational help.” Ishimaru babbled on, but Mondo all but dragged him out of the room, ignoring the people who were watching them. He finally released Ishimaru, who decided to follow in case something happened.

Mondo stopped walking suddenly and Ishimaru walked into his back. “Chihiro?”

He looked past Mondo and saw her sitting on the floor in the middle of the hallway. They walked over to her and Ishimaru’s eyes widened when he realized she was crying, covering her face with her hands. “Chi! What’s wrong?”

She only mumbled something, looking up at the pair helplessly. “Calm down, Fujisaki. Take a deep breath. What did you say?” Ishimaru bent down to hear her through her sobs.

“I l-lost my flash drive!” she said, sniffling and letting out a hiccup.

“What, that computer thing?” Mondo asked, raising his eyebrows.

She nodded. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t come to lunch, Mondo.” She stood up slowly, still wiping her eyes. “I don’t know where I put it and I looked everywhere and-!” She broke off before she would begin crying again.

“Chi, you could’a just told me. We can look for it together, okay?”

She shook her head. “I’ve already interrupted our lunch time, Mondo. S-sorry about that, too! Maybe I’ll look for it later.”

Mondo nodded, looking distressed. “S’fine, Chihiro. Let’s eat and I’ll help you think where you could’a put it.”

Mondo ruffled Chihiro’s hair, and she let out a stuffy giggle. He didn’t have the heart to tell them to keep their hands to themselves, seeing that Chihiro had gotten so upset. They walked back, Ishimaru trailing behind them and sitting back at his own table.

 

~~~

 

Ishimaru was disappointed that there hadn’t been any time to look for Chihiro’s flash drive later that day. Someone would probably have picked it up by now, anyways, and if they didn’t, the time the janitors would have cleaned the classrooms and discovered it. Ishimaru tried not to think about it too much as he tried to finish his homework, but it kept lingering in his mind.

There was a loud knocking at his door and he stood up, grateful for the distraction. Maybe all he needed was a break, and then he would work better. He opened the door. “Good afternoon! How can I help you... Oowada?”

Mondo stood outside the front door, fidgeting. He relaxed as soon as he noticed it was Ishimaru. “Hey. We’re going look for Chihiro’s driver flash or whatever the hell it’s called.”

Ishimaru hesitated. “We?” he repeated after a second.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Ishimaru closed the door behind him, unsure if it was a good idea. How were they going to get inside the building?

“Hop on.” Mondo got on his motorcycle and patted the seat behind him.

Ishimaru recoiled as if Mondo had slapped him. “Are you saying that I have to get on this...death contraption of yours?!”

Mondo rolled his eyes, scratching the back of his head with one hand. “Well, duh, Hall Monitor. It’s the fastest way.”

Ishimaru shook his head firmly. “But hardly the safest. I’m taking my bike. Where’s your helmet, anyways?”

Mondo snorted loudly at that. “A helmet? Are you fuckin’ with me, Kiyotaka? I don’t need one.”

Ishimaru pulled his bike out from behind the bushes, carefully walking it down his driveway. “A helmet is a proper safety precaution everyone could use, Oowada.”

Mondo huffed at that. “Can’t help everyone.”

He started his motorcycle and began riding, slow enough that Ishimaru could keep up with him. Soon they had reached the school. Mondo got off of his motorcycle and brought down the kickstand, leaving it on a parking lot space. Ishimaru leaned his own bike against the stands. “There are no cars in the parking lot... What are you DOING?”

Mondo was walking around towards the back of the school. Ishimaru could only follow helplessly. “C’mon,” Mondo said, pushing up on a window. “Help me out, Kiyotaka.”

Ishimaru shook his head, his eyes pleading as he stared at Mondo. “You shouldn’t be doing this, Oowada! It goes against school policies and rules-”

Mondo turned to look at him from underneath his arm. “Could you just shut up for a minute, Kiyotaka? Let me think about this.”

Ishimaru quieted down and Mondo sighed in relief as he pushed open the window, standing back and hopping up to hang on the edge. His feet scraped against the bricks and he just barely managed to get up on the ledge and climb in. Ishimaru turned to leave, but Mondo called him back.

“C’mon, Kiyotaka. Don’t make me do this alone.” Mondo held his hand out for Ishimaru. He hesitated and grabbed it, pulling himself up. At least if he went, he could make sure Mondo wouldn’t vandalize the property.

“You just need to loosen up sometimes, y’know? Stiff as a board.” Ishimaru shrugged, looking around in awe. He’d hardly ever seen the classroom looking so dark. “I figure she’s left it in the library. C’mon.”

Mondo led the way, oblivious to the darkness around them. It made Ishimaru uneasy. The only sound that could be heard was Ishimaru’s heels clicking softly on the floor and Mondo whistling softly. He opened the library door and held it open for Ishimaru, who slid in silently. “Oowada?” Ishimaru asked in a quiet whisper.

“What?” Mondo replied in a hushed tone.

“Why are you so intent on getting her flash drive?”

Sunlight came in through a window near the back and it lit up Mondo’s face. “Well, because... Since, you know...” Mondo couldn’t seem to form the words. “Because I care about her. I don’t like when any of my buddies’r upset.”

Ishimaru stared at him for a few seconds. “You care about them enough to possible be caught sneaking into the school?” he asked.

Mondo let out a soft chuckle. “Yeah. It’s stupid, I know.” Ishimaru shook his head.

“Hardly, Oowada. I respect your bravery in doing something like this.” Mondo looked surprised that Ishimaru cared. “What, really? It ain’t anything important,” he said, looking away.

“Of course it is, Oowada! Friendship is a great thing to have and to go such a distance for it is impressive!”

Was it just him, or was Mondo... blushing?

“Whatever. Help me look around for it, okay?”

Ishimaru nodded, walking towards the checkout area. The only thing he noticed behind the counter were books.

“See anything?” Mondo asked from across the room.

“No,” Ishimaru said, sighing.

He heard Mondo walking back towards him. “We just gotta keep looking. She said that she’d left it either here or in Room 18, and she’s already looked back there.”

Ishimaru walked over to the school computers and began picking up the scraps of papers around them, hoping to catch sight of the little drive that he remembered Chihiro carrying around. But after a few minutes, even he wasn’t sure that someone hadn’t taken it. Mondo swore for the third time in a row, sighing in annoyance and running a hand over his hair. Ishimaru turned away and saw something on the floor near the chairs.

“Fuckin’ piece of shit microscopic technology,” Mondo said, scowling and ignoring Ishimaru as he headed towards the black item.

“Watch your language, Oowada,” Ishimaru said, bending down to pick up the flash drive from beside the chair’s leg. “Especially when you hardly need to use it.”

Mondo leaned against the counter, looking impressed. “How’d you notice it?” he asked, holding his hand for it.

Ishimaru gave it to him and shrugged. “You just need to look, Oowada.”

Mondo laughed, nodding and throwing an arm over Ishimaru’s shoulder. Unused to such a physical action, Ishimaru stiffened up and Mondo laughed, pulling his hand away. “Let’s give this to Chihiro and be done with this.”

Ishimaru nodded and stopped walking. “Oowada?”

Mondo turned around to face him.

“You won’t tell anyone that we snuck into the school, will you?”

Mondo shook his head. “‘course not, Kiyotaka.”

Ishimaru beamed at him, relieved. “Thank you.”

Mondo huffed, turning away again. “Yeah.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I have no idea how one does a school break-in whoops


	11. In Which Clothes Are Tried On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party is in a few days and the group decides to get up and do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yaay I can't find out party outfits so you'll know what it is when you see it uwu ((Will be edited again soon))

There was a loud slam as someone entered the library and Ishimaru looked up from his book, startled.

“Hey, Kiyotaka.” Mondo sat down across from him, putting his legs on the table.

“Feet off, Oowada. It is disrespectful to the property-”

Mondo shook his head, rolling his lavender-colored eyes to the ceiling. “Calm down, Ishimaru. I ain’t gonna kill anyone doing this.” Ishimaru scoffed at that but continued to his reading. “When Leon gets here, we’re goin’ to the town for a while. He wants to get something nice to wear for the dance.”

Ishimaru looked up from his book. “Is he going with Sayaka?” he asked, mildly interested. It seemed that Leon was fully taken with the girl by now, flaunting off his relationship with her and even going so far as to give her flowers every morning.

“Yeah. Wouldn’t surprise me by now.” Mondo shifted in his seat and stared at Ishimaru. “Hey, uh, speaking of the dance, are you going with anyone?”

Ishimaru put his book down, careful not to bend any of it’s pages. “I was hardly planning it, Oowada. You should know that I have no time for something so time consuming as a school dance!”

Mondo smirked, exposing his ever-sharp canines. “So nobody asked you, huh?”

Ishimaru felt his face beginning to heat up, although he had no idea why. It wasn’t his fault that nobody had asked. Everyone else was preoccupied with their own things, right? He shook his head to Mondo’s question and raised an eyebrow. “Has anyone asked you to the dance?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too interested in it.

Mondo scratched the back of his head, turning his head away as he muttered a “no.”

Ishimaru tilted his head, surprised at that. “Did you ask someone?”

The biker looked more flustered than before. “Yeah. Whatever. She didn’t wanna go, anyways.” He ran a hand over his pompadour and cleared his throat. “S’a stupid dance, anyways. I didn’t even wanna go.”

Ishimaru felt slightly disappointed. “Is Chihiro going, at least? Hopefully one of us will be able to enjoy the night.”

Mondo nodded, sitting up. “She’s sellin’ tickets and when she runs out she’s gonna go in as well.”

Chihiro came up just then, smiling brightly. “Yeah! Leon’s going to drive me there with Maizono. He’s so excited to go with her!”

The door opened then and Leon walked in, grinning.

“What’s got you so up?” Mondo asked, also noticing the change in his mood. “You look like an idiot.”

Leon smirked at him, rolling his eyes. “Whatever, man. You’re just jealous I got a girl like Maizono coming with me to the dance!”

Mondo huffed at that. “Jealous my ass,” he muttered. “Are we goin’ or what?

Leon nodded, jingling his car keys in his hand. “Yeah, man! Let’s go!” Chihiro and Ishimaru followed him to the car. “C’mon, Mondo. Are you taking your-”

Mondo cut him off. “I’m riding my bike. Yeah.”

Ishimaru sat down in the back with Chihiro and clipped the seatbelt, straightening his uniform down as Leon started the car. He turned on some loud music station and Ishimaru was left to his own thoughts.

 

~~~

 

“How’s this?” Leon asked, flexing his arm in front of the mirror. Mondo grunted in approval while he sat on the floor and Ishimaru nodded. Leon was trying on his seventh outfit by now, and it neither Ishimaru nor Mondo could tell what was so fun about it. Mondo wanted to go get it done as fast as possible, but Ishimaru was confused about the entire process.

Chihiro walked around Leon, examining him from all angles. He wore a pair of dark jeans and a white shirt with a red design on it, as well as a white jacket over it. “You think Maizono’s gonna like it?” he asked, staring down at himself.

“Yeah. She’ll fall in love all over again. Now buy it and let’s go,” Mondo said, standing up from the ground and stretching.

“Hold on, man!” Leon whined, fixing his hair in the mirror. “I gotta make sure this is just right.” He stared at himself for a few seconds and cracked a grin at his reflection. “This is it.”

Chihiro squealed in excitement and followed him back to the changing rooms, leaving Ishimaru and Mondo together in front of the mirrors. Mondo busied himself by fixing up his hair in a mirror. Ishimaru studied his feet, unsure what to say to the biker.

“And we’re done! Let’s pay and get something to eat. I’m starving!” Leon walked with Chihiro to the cash registers and Ishimaru followed, turning to make sure they hadn’t left Mondo behind somewhere. He followed from a distance, obviously thinking about something based on how quiet he was.

“Oowada, are you feeling unwell?” Ishimaru asked when he reached them. “You seem very distant today. Is something the matter?”

Mondo snorted, shaking his head once. “No, Kiyotaka. I’m fine.”

Leon turned to raise an eyebrow at him. “You sure, man? You’re totally out of it today.”

Mondo nodded, blinking quickly and answering with, “I’m okay. Stop worrying about me.”

Leon shrugged, handing the woman behind the counter his card. “Whatever you say, dude.” He didn’t sound very convinced, either, and Ishimaru was relieved that it wasn’t just him who’d noticed.

Leon was talking about Maizono as they left the store, talking about one something or another she’d told him about her singing group. Chihiro opened the back door and took the bags from him, nodding to show that she was still listening. Mondo got on his bike and began revving it up.

Leon got in the driver’s seat and whistled cheerfully as he turned the keys. “We could get some Chinese food or something,” he said. “Take out food. I wanna go check out the old baseball field before it’s too dark.”

Mondo followed behind them on his bike and Ishimaru cringed every time he saw a car behind him, speeding up only to turn left or right. In the end, Leon had driven them to a Chinese restaurant and ordered a few boxes of warm food to go. He put them in the back besides Chihiro and Ishimaru as he began driving again.

 

~~~

 

When they reached the wooded area, Ishimaru was more than uncertain that it wasn’t even a baseball field. But Leon dragged them out of the car, ignoring Chihiro’s soft protests and talking loudly over Mondo’s annoyed swearing. “I heard they’re still using this place. What a dump. Maizono said she wanted to see me practice someday and I got no idea where to bring her.”

He began walking along a dirt trail, ignoring Mondo when he shouted at him to come back. “It’s right over here, man! C’mon!”

Ishimaru followed behind him, worried that in all his excitement, Leon would find some way to fall or get hurt. Chihiro followed slowly, holding the bags of food in her hands.

There was a small hill of dirt that dipped down into a giant field. Leon had already raced to it, running to the other side of the field before coming back to Ishimaru. “There’s some tables over there. We can eat there.”

Chihiro came over the hill, her hands empty, and then Mondo was behind her, holding the plastic bags. He followed Leon to a small sitting area, nothing more than a few picnic tables with a wooden roof over them. He sat down with the food and Ishimaru sat across the table from him, watching Leon as he ran through the overgrown grass. Chihiro sat down with the pair and they each took a container of still-warm food.

Leon noticed and called out to them from wherever he was, and Ishimaru heard his footsteps bounding towards them as he jumped over the table and sat besides Ishimaru. “I used ta’ go ‘ere all the ‘ime,” he mumbled mouth full of noodles. He swallowed and said, “Doubt that Maizono’d like it. Looks like crap after so many years.”

Mondo nodded and Chihiro shrugged. “It’s not all that bad?” she said, practically cringing at the lie.

Leon practically howled with laughter and reached over, ruffling her hair and sighing as he sat back down. “Sure it’s not.”

Ishimaru watched Leon and Chihiro get up, pulling off their shoes before beginning to run around the run-down field. Mondo groaned and stood up, looking around before standing up and laying down somewhere in the grass. Ishimaru watched them all wistfully from his seat, too nervous to move. Was he supposed to go with Leon and Chihiro? Or did Mondo want him to stay away?

The self-conscious thoughts were put away when Mondo spoke. “Kiyotaka. C’mere.” He stood and walked over to where he’d heard Mondo’s voice and saw him staring up at the sky. “Lay down.”

Ishimaru shook his head quickly. “I’d rather not, Mondo. I would not like to get my uniform dirty...”

Mondo sat up and began pulling off his jacket, putting it flat on the ground besides him as he settled back. “There. Lay down.”

Ishimaru hesitated before sitting down on the jacket, surprised that it was so warm. He leaned back until he was laying down besides Mondo, trying to see whatever he was seeing in the stars.

“D’ya wanna go to the dance?” Mondo asked after a few minutes of silence.

“Hm? Isn’t it best to go to a dance with someone else?”

Mondo folded an arm behind his head, letting out a breath. “Yeah. If you had someone to go with, would ya’, I mean?”

Ishimaru considered the question and nodded. “Of course. It would be rude for me not to go.”

Mondo rolled over to face him, squinting at him. “What if ya’ had a choice? If they only asked ta’ be nice or some shit. No pressure on it.”

Carefully, Ishimaru dusted off his uniform’s sleeves and thought some more. He nodded once. “It must be very exciting,” he mused softly. “To go to a school dance. I would like to try it someday.”

Mondo was silent and he turned back to stare up. “Hey, uh, Kiyotaka. Y’know, if you want, we could...” Mondo audibly grit his teeth as he formed his next words in his mind. “If you want me and you can go!” he blurted loudly, looking away.

Ishimaru thought about that. Mondo had asked him to the dance! It wasn’t official, nowhere near it, but Ishimaru was overjoyed, almost ecstatic. “Really, Mondo? You would go to the dance with me?”

Mondo nodded, shrugging. “Yeah. Y’know. if you want to go.”

Ishimaru hardly had to think to answer. “Yes! I will come with you to the dance.”

They lapsed into silence, Ishimaru’s face ready to break in half with the size of his smile. They stayed like that until Leon came over and called for them, and only then did Ishimaru reluctantly get off of Mondo’s jacket and hand it back to him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tune in next week to see what the two morons are doing at the party hha (Plus Leon's probably going to be one as well ofc something has to go wrong)


	12. In Which Parties Are Went To, Even In The Most Boring Of Ways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru and Mondo head to the party and realize that they have almost no idea what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting if you're still here and still having faith in me I'm excited to present to you all the next chapter which I specially had written first and then REWROTE EVERYTHING so haha yeah nwn (Plus I don't know motorcycles and school parties I'll research them both someday)

Ishimaru stared at himself in the mirror as he thought. How did people dress when they went to school dances? The only thing he wore that could possibly be appopriate was his school uniform, and he was wearing it now. But maybe it was too much. What if Mondo saw and laughed at him? “Stop it, Kiyotaka!” he snapped, shaking his head. He scolded himself in harsh whispers as he walked back to his room. Why would he be trying to impress Mondo, of all people? There was a knock downstairs and glanced out the window. There was what looked like a motorcycle in the driveway and he hurried downstairs, opening the door. “Good morning, Oowada!” he greeted cheerfully. Mondo nodded in a greeting and looked him up and down. “Hey, Kiyotaka. Let’s go. S’gonna start soon and Leon said he’s already there.” Ishimaru followed him out, locking the door behind him. He stopped and stared at the bike. “Are we... riding that?” he said, eyes wide. “Yeah. Oh! Right.” Holding his hands out, Ishimaru shook his head. “C’mon, Kiyotaka. We’re gonna be late if we walk or somethin’, okay?” He stood rooted to the spot as Mondo made his way over.  He grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him close enough to the bike to see it’s dials. “The school ain’t even that far riding it! We’re gonna be late if we don’t go this way.” Ishimaru sighed, but he knew that Mondo was right. It took him more than ten minutes to get to the school by bike, and the dance was set to start in just five. “Don’t you at least have a helmet for yourself, Oowada? It’s much safer that way.” He walked back to his own bike and took his helmet from the handle. “A helmet? No way, Kiyotaka. Helmets do shit when you really need them, anyways.” He sat down on the motorcycle’s seat and patted it behind him. He chuckled as Ishimaru’s eyes widened and he stiffly got on. Mondo twisted around to face him and grin. “You’ve never ridden one of these, have ya’? Just hold on.” Without waiting for his answer, Mondo bent forward and the motorcycle jerked forward. Ishimaru grit his teeth to keep from crying out at the sudden speed of it. He instinctively grabbed at Mondo and managed to get his arms wrapped tightly around the other teen’s waist. “Oowada!” he shouted. “We are going over the speed limit! This isn’t safe!” He wanted to tap the biker to make sure he was listening, but he was frozen in fear himself. “I’ll have you written up! You’ll get detention unless you slow down. Mondo! You’re going to hurt someone!” But Mondo laughed out loud, joyful despite Ishimaru’s screaming. “If ya’ think this is fast, you should see me with the gang!” He had to shout to be heard above the constant roaring of the motorcycle. Ishimaru didn’t reply; instead he lowered his face and pressed his cheek against Mondo’s back., closing his eyes tightly to keep the wind from blowing into his eyes. After a few minutes the rumbling began to quiet and he felt the shaking underneath him stop. He could hear Mondo talking over the ringing in his earrs. “You all right? We’re here.” As the ‘loud’ silence dimmed, he could hear music in the background. Mondo stood up and waited for Ishimaru, who slowly unclipped his helmet with shaky fingers and glared up at Mondo. “Not so bad, is it?” Mondo asked, laughing almost nervously. Ishimaru only let out an annoyed huff and put down the helmet, following the biker into the gym. 

 

Although they had made it exactly at six, there were dozens of other students already in the gym. Chihiro was sitting at a table with a box beside her side. Mondo and Ishimaru made their way over to her and Mondo took out his wallet, pulling out a few bills of money and handing them to her. Ishimaru felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he patted his pockets, knowing he was looking for nothing he had. Out of everything, he’d forgotten his money. “I, uh, can’t go,” he said softly, face flushing pink in embarrassment. “I forgot my fee...” Mondo cleared his throat, pulling his wallet back out from his pocket. “I’ll do it,” he muttered, giving Chihiro another few dollars. “You don’t have to, Oowada! It was my mistake-” Mondo cut him off. “Well, I want to, all right?” he snapped. Chihiro giggled and Mondo scratched the back of his head as they waited. “Okay! You’re in. Have fun, guys!” They turned away and Chihiro spoke again. “Couple photos are to the left! They’re only five dollars if you want one!” Mondo turned to face her quickly and Ishimaru looked up at him. “Ha ha, Chi. Very funny.” Why would Chihiro suggest such a thing? Mondo looked away from her and scratched the back of his head again.  “Well? You wanna get somethin’ to drink?” Ishimaru nodded. “That would be fine, Oowada.” He followed behind Mondo to a table with drinks and snacks and heard a familiar voice behind him. “I threw that ball so hard it went over all those loser’s heads. Should’a seen their faces, Maizono! It was gold!” There was a small giggle. “Is that Kiyotaka?” Ishimaru turned, momentarily distracted from Mondo. Maizono’s blue eyes widened in surprise and she smiled at him. Leon had his arm over her shoulder and quickly pulled it off when Ishimaru glanced at him. “Hey, man! Who’d have known you’d be coming. Who’s your date-” Mondo cleared his throat from behind Ishimaru and Leon looked up at him, a smirk forming on his face for reasons Ishimaru didn’t know. “I did not come with a ‘date’, Leon...? Mondo brought me with him, however.” Leon let out a loud snort. “Right. No date, my ass,” he said in a low voice, mimicking Mondo from the other date. “Well, me and Maizono here are gonna go hit the dance floor. Catch you two later, man!” He ran off,, holding Maizono by her wrist as she giggled and followed behind. Mondo gave Ishimaru a plastic cup filled with soda in it and Ishimaru tentatively took a sip. He almost coughed the drink back out, not used to the bubbling flavor of it. Mondo watched him carefully for a few seconds before looking around the room, clearing his throat again. “Tell me, Mondo,” Ishimaru began, hoping he didn’t look entirely clueless. “What goes on in a school party like this again?” Mondo was silent, squinting at the crowd before answering. “Depends who you are, I guess. Some just talk to each other. Most, like that Junko girl over there really like to dance the whole time.” The fashion girl was twirling among the students, her head thrown back as she laughed. “Otherwise, there’s not much to do from what I know. School parties are crap, if you ask me.” Ishimaru held onto his cup tightly as he lifted his head to smile at him. “Is it a fun experience though, right? Why would so many other people go, anyways?” Mondo nodded, tilting his head to the side as he thought. “Just means somethin’, if you go with a date.” He began walking and Ishimaru followed him over to the bleachers, thinking. Mondo climbed to the top of them and sat down, leaning back against the wall. Ishimaru sat down stiffly besides him. “Look at some of ‘em. I just sit here and watch, y’know?” He pointed to a small figure that could only be Leon, dancing with Sayaka and spinning her around slowly, even though the song was fast and upbeat. Mondo was silent for a few minutes. “Do you sit here alone, Oowada?” Ishimaru asked. He felt an engraving in the wood and looked down at his hands, where the words ‘Oowada was here’ were carved deep into the old wood. “It’s not good to damage school property like this, Oowada! You should know better.” Mondo shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know. And yeah, sometimes I do sit alone.” He lifted one hand and pointed. “Is that Naegi and that Kyouko girl?” Ishimaru bent forward to catch sight of the pair and nodded, happy for them. “Yes! Naegi had been planning to ask her.” From what he was seeing though, the date had gone sour, since Kirigiri was looking around and Naegi was staring down at his feet. Mondo seemed to notice it, as well. “Damn shame. He’s gonna be embarrassed if nothin’ happens between them tonight.” Ishimaru nodded, biting his lower lip in thought. “Perhaps they would like to sit with us?” he asked. “Huh? Sure, if they really want. Tell ‘em they don’t have to.” There was an awkward silence. “Unless you don’t want them to, Oowada. This was, er, obviously your spot first,” he said, tracing his fingers over the writing on it. “Eh, yeah. Okay. If they hit the rock bottom you can bring ‘em here.” Ishimaru nodded, set his cup down beside Mondo, and stepped down from the stairs to the awkward two. “Hey, Kiyotaka. I didn’t think you were coming to this,” Naegi said. “Neither had Leon! Mondo had suggested that I come to experience it.” The corners of Kirigiri’s mouth twitched at Ishimaru’s words and she nodded. “I thought as much,” she murmured. Naegi shuffled his feet again, green eyes full of worry. “And are you having fun, Kirigiri?” The thoughtful girl looked around before responding. “It is...interesting.” Naegi lifted his head, pointing at the refreshment table across the gym. “Kyouko, do you want a Coke? I can get you one!” She nodded and Naegi practically ran, eager to get something for her. “Makoto had hoped that you would come with him,” Ishimaru said, hoping to get Kirigiri to look more at Naegi than their surroundings. “Oh? He seemed very nonchalant when I accepted. I don’t think he wanted to go with me.” Ishimaru shook his head quickly. “No, he was very nervous about it! He’d asked me if he should ask you to come. Mondo said that if you went with someone, it means something very important, and surely Naegi believes in that, too!” Kirigiri’s eyes shifted over to Naegi, who was trying to walk away from Hagakure by the drinks. “Interesting.” Naegi came back and Ishimaru nodded in farewell, stepping away. Naegi said something and laughed nervously, handing her the cup. Kirigiri managed to give him a small smile before leaning over to tell him something. Naegi’s eyes brightened and he smiled eagerly in return. He said something back and took her by the arm, walking away. Ishimaru walked back to Mondo, who was finishing up his drink and nodding slowly. “What was their deal?” he asked, crushing his cup in one hand and dropping it on the seat. “I hope you will clean that up, Oowada. There was a problem with communication between each other.” Mondo smirked up at the hall monitor. Ishimaru stared blankly at him and Mondo looked away quickly. “This is your first time at a party like this.” Ishimaru nodded. “S’my first time goin’ with someone other than Chihiro.” Ishimaru looked at him as he sat down. “Surely not, Oowada! I figure someone like you has gone to many of these with a lady at your side!” Mondo shook his head, his smile looking forced. “Not really. I, uh, I yell when I get nervous sometimes. It scares off... everyone.” Sitting up straighter, Mondo looked at his hands for a minute. “I don’t mean to, y’know? Just kinda slips out.” Ishimaru nodded, understanding his predicament. “I dunno. Think it’s cool to go with a guy like you, Kiyotaka.” Ishimaru’s eyes widened. “Really?” It was hardly a compliment, but he felt himself bloom with pride at it. “Yeah. You’re a lot more different than a lot of guys I know.” Mondo grinned and ruffled Ishimaru’s hair with his hand, chuckling when he let out an annoyed breath. “Physical contact is not permitted in the school building, Oowada! You-” Mondo rolled his eyes, finishing the sentence for him. “Should know that already. Yeah.” 

 

By the end of the dance, Mondo was laying down sideways on the bleacher and staring out blankly out at the gym. Most of the students had left by now, but a few remained and they were sitting together with their own friends. “Guess it’s time to get back. I’m tired as fuck. Don’t you have a schedule or something, too?” Ishimaru lifted his arm to look at his watch. It was already half past eight. He had planned to get home thirty minutes ago, but Mondo had insisted that they stay another hour. “Right, Oowada!” He stood up and Mondo sat up, stretching his arms above his head. He scratched the back of his head and yawned, following Ishimaru down the stairs. Leon called out to them and Ishimaru turned to see him walking with Maizono. “Leaving already, man?” Ishimaru nodded. “It’s Friday, though! Stay up a little with us, dude!” Mondo held his hand up. “No thanks, Leon. S’harder to ride a bike when it’s so dark out.” He turned and left without another word, leaving Ishimaru to hurry out behind him. The cold chill in the air was enough to make him let out a breath of surprise, and he strapped his helmet on quickly while Mondo waited. He got on behind him, closing his eyes tightly again. Mondo didn’t go nearly as fast as when they’d first come. Ishimaru lifted his head, looking at the houses they passed by until they eventually reached his own. Mondo sat still while Ishimaru got off, watching him as he took off the helmet. “Thank you for this, Mondo!” Ishimaru paused, trying to think of something else to say. “It was very nice going with you.” Mondo’s eyes widened and he quickly looked down, his face hidden underneath his pompadour. “Yeah, whatever. You really wanted to go.” They stood silently for a few more seconds, and then Mondo lifted his head. “Guess I gotta head off, too. See you at school, Kiyotaka.” Ishimaru nodded quickly and smiled. “Have a good ride, Oowada! Be careful! Good night!” With that, Mondo took off down the street, and Ishimaru turned to his door, feeling almost giddy with an unknown feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suddenly he realized he has the feelings for mondo!!! much drama?? people will be shocked!! (lol no he doesn't)


	13. In Which Everything Is Fricked Around With And People Visit Strangers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon and Chihiro accidentally spill about something that riles Mondo up and confuses Ishimaru more than thought possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally this was a lot worse than I planned and even though it gets somewhat hazy in the end it's 10 and I've got a headache and wanna finish this today ha enjoy (Plus I've decided to 'add' characters into the story)
> 
> I also am going to start editing these to be less chunky ha it was good but then it's not neat anymore ;n;

Ishimaru looked up as Leon walked in through the library doors, wondering why the baseball player was visiting when both Chihiro and Mondo were gone. “Good afternoon, Kuwata. Didn’t you get either Fujisaki or Oowada’s texts? They went to get a flash drive.” Leon nodded, whistling a tune to himself as he dropped into a chair. “Of course, man! I’m just stopping by, y’know?” Ishimaru fought back the urge to say that no, he didn’t know. Was Leon planning something? “If you have any intentions to damage any property that belongs to this place I will report you to the office and Chihiro and Mondo will know about-” Leon held his hands out in surrender, eyes wide. “Hey, man! I haven’t even done anything!”   Ishimaru nodded, relaxing slightly as he took a few books and began putting them away on the shelves. Ishimaru propped his feet up on the desk in front of him and Ishimaru sighed. “You look like Oowada,” he finally said, turning to face the other teenager. “Oowada. As in, Mondo Oowada, by any chance?” Ishimaru nodded. A slow smirk began to form on Leon’s face. “Guess you really pay attention, huh?” he asked in a long, drawn out purr. Ishimaru squinted at him before he shrugged. “Of course I pay attention to him. Mondo is my...friend.” Leon pushed on the desk with his feet, tilting the chair back. Before Ishimaru could warn him on how dangerous that was, he tilted it too far and the chair fell back. Still sitting in it, Leon laughed, hardly bothered. “Sure, man,” he said, still smirking. “What are you playing at, Kuwata?” Leon shrugged, folding one arm beneath his head. “How tight are you and Mondo, man?” The random question surprised Ishimaru and he dropped the book he was holding. “He is like a brother to me, Kuwata. We are close.” Leon sighed dramatically, taking his phone out of his pocket “Hey, any chance you can lemme borrow some cash?” he asked nonchalantly. “What could you possibly need more money for, Kuwata?” Ishimaru asked, recoiling from him. The redhead muttered something under his breath and glanced at Ishimaru with his ice-blue eyes. “Celes and me were playing cards the other night and I lost a few hundred dollars. That, and I may have kinda lost a bet against her in class today.” He scowled and Ishimaru pulled up a chair to sit next to him. “Betting? Kuwata, betting in school is against the rules! Don’t you know that?” Leon cringed, nodding. “Well, yeah, but I’m not even doing it all that much, man! S’mostly Celes and that Byakuya snob betting practically thousands of dollars against each other by now.” Two rich students betting against each other was not unheard of, but it was when it came between the pair. Togami payed little to no attention to something that came up in school, unless he could profit off of it. And Celes only ever made bets if she was absolutely certain that she would win. “What are they even betting, Kuwata?” Leon sat up suddenly as he stared at his phone’s screen, laughing too loudly. “Hey, uh, Mondo’s almost here man. I gotta be-” The door swung open and Mondo stormed in, Chihiro talking quickly behind him. “M-mondo, y-you’re taking this the wrong way! I’m s-sorry I told you! Nobody’s being hurt by it!” Leon yelped and turned to crawl away, but Mondo grabbed him by the back of his shirt, easily picking him up. “What the hell’re you betting on, Leon? And trying to get Chi to help you with it, too! You’re gonna fuckin’ tell me right now!” Leon flailed weakly in his grip and finally relaxed, defeated. “Leon, you’re betting too?” Ishimaru asked weakly, not sure what was going on and why Mondo was so upset. He muttered something too quietly for either Ishimaru and Mondo to hear and the biker shook him hard. “Talk louder, you ass!” Leon twisted around in one final attempt. “M-man, I’m not even that into it! C-Celes and Byakuya are betting on your relationship, man!” He spoke to Mondo but he turned to look at Ishimaru pleadingly. “Put him down, Mondo,” Ishimaru said, hoping to calm down the teenager. “Who’s relationships, eh? Who the hell do they think I’m dating?!” Chihiro weakly tugged at Mondo’s jacket, her lower lip trembling as she tried not to cry. “M-mondo, I’m sorry! It’s not Leon’s fault! Please don’t hurt him!” Mondo finally snapped out of his blind rage. He turned to face the little girl, eyes wide. “Oh, shit. Shit. I’m sorry, Chi...” He turned to Leon, still breathing hard. “Just tell me, man.” His voice practically shook with how hard he tried not to yell. “K-kiyotaka!” Ishimaru looked over at Mondo, who looked as confused as he felt. “What is it, Kuwata?” he asked instead. Chihiro covered her eyes with her hands and Leon laughed, despite still being held like an animal. “That’s who, man!” Mondo let go of him and he hit the floor. He scratched the back of his head and looked over at Chihiro, back down to Leon, and at last setting his lavender-colored gaze on Ishimaru. “I don’t think I understand, Kuwata,” Ishimaru said hesitantly. “Ha...course...of course not, man. Don’t worry about it.” Leon was still breathing hard, slowly standing up. Chihiro grabbed Mondo by his hand and pulled him away, tugging him down so they were eye level with each other. Ishimaru could only hear the softest of whispers from the corner with them. Leon came towards him and slung an arm over his shoulder. “I really am sorry, man,” he muttered, looking apologetic. He looked around and grabbed a loose sheet of notebook paper, scrawling his number on it. “Just call or somethin’ if anything happens, okay? I don’t think Mondo’s gonna be cool with me coming around for a few days.” Clearing his throat, Leon slunk towards the door, hands in his pockets. “See ya’, Mondo. Chihiro.” He ignored Mondo’s loud ‘Hey!’ and stepped outside quickly, gone before anyone could stop him. Ishimaru turned around to face Mondo, confused. “What did he mean, Oowada?” he asked stiffly, face heating up for reasons beyond him. “Nothing, Kiyotaka! Shut up for a minute!” Mondo snapped, still facing Chihiro. Ishimaru took a step backwards, feeling hurt that Mondo would yell at him. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he finally said loudly. “God damn, Kiyotaka, are you fuckin’ blind?” Mondo whirled around to face him, eyes wide and hands balled into fists at his sides. “Mondo!” Chihiro gasped softly, covering her mouth with her hands. “No, I’m not blind!” His eyes felt unnaturally watery and he lifted a hand to try and wipe away the tears. “B-but I am leaving!” He reached behind the counter to take his bag and ignored the tear that fell off his face and onto his uniform. “Goodbye, Fujisaki. I’ll be back tomorrow, most likely.” He heard Mondo swearing again but kept walking towards the door. “God fucking damn! Kiyotaka, wait-” Closing it quickly behind him, he sniffled determinedly and began walking. There was a red car by the side of the road and the window pulled down. “Hey,” Leon said, voice dull. “You need a ride?” Ishimaru stared at him for a few seconds before nodding and walking to the other side. “Yeah. I heard Mondo yelling again and figured he’d get someone out.” Ishimaru only nodded, clutching the bag to his chest. Leon put his hands on the steering wheel but didn’t start the car, pursing his lips before sighing. “Wow,” he finally breathed out, glancing at Ishimaru. “I really fucked up.” Ishimaru let out a snort at that, trying hard not to crack a smile at Leon’s problem. But after a second Leon began laughing and shook his head a few times before pressing down on the gas pedal. “So,” he said after Ishimaru had told him the directions to get to his house. “Did you really not understand what was going on or were you pretending for Mondo’s sake?” Ishimaru stared blankly at him. “You really don’t know, man?” He shook his head and Leon sighed again. “I’m gonna break this down for ya’ later tonight, man, and I don’t think you’re gonna like it.” Pulling over to a gas station, Leon got out and Ishimaru followed, wiping his eyes again. Leon bought a can of Amp and Dorritoes, and even bought a bottle of water for Ishimaru. “Hey, it’s only Friday, man,” he said after he payed and they were sitting in the car. “Hm? I guess you’re right, Kuwata.” Leon nodded and checked his phone. “Hey, you wanna hang with me and my friend tonight? We’ll be playing some video game or another.” Ishimaru was about to shake his head but Leon was already driving in another direction. “Kuwata? Who exactly, er, is your friend?” Ishimaru finally asked. “Huh? Oh, you know him from school. Trust me, he’s cool!” They reached a large wooden house and Leon grinned. “You play video games?” he asked. “No.” Leon turned to look at him, surprised. “Are you serious? What do you do in your free time, then?” Ishimaru didn’t have to think to answer. “Study.” Laughing, Leon shook his head and knocked on the door. “Is there a reason we’re going here, Kuwata?” Scratching at his hair, Leon shook his head. “Nah, man. I figure that after tonight, though, we’re bound to get shit-beaten by Mondo. I am, at least. You’re just coming down with me for the heck of it-” The door opened and Ishimaru blinked as he recognized the person. “Yasuhiro?” he asked. “Yoo, Leooon! And-Is that Kiyotaka? What’re you doing here, dude?” Leon quickly described it as ‘being kicked out of the friend circle’. “Y’know, Leon, if you just payed me the other day, I could’ve predicted this and you could’a just not had it happen!” Leon rolled his eyes and walked in. “May I come in-” Hagakure was already holding the door open for him. “It’s a dude’s night, dude! And I’m not judgin’ for your relationships! Tonight’s a day for warfare and soda!” Surprised that Hagakure was so forgiving about it all, Ishimaru headed inside and followed Leon into another room with a large television. “Tonight is just for ‘Leon the crap’ and his friends.” Hagakure laughed at that and sat at the other end of the couch, turning on the television and handing Ishimaru a game remote. 

 

“Damn, it’s late. C’mon, Kiyotaka, better get outta here before he wakes up,” Leon said in a whispered voice. They’d played a few games and Ishimaru found that he had actually calmed down, forgetting the horrible incident with Mondo from earlier that day. Over the course of the night, Ishimaru realized that Hagakure wasn’t quite as troublesome as he thought. Maybe more erratic than Ishimaru would ever want to know, but hardly considered a delinquent. Hagakure had fallen asleep while Ishimaru and Leon played a few more rounds, but now Ishimaru was tired and it seemed Leon was, too. Leon threw a blanket at Hagakure and walked out with Ishimaru. “Tomorrow won’t be so bad, right?” Leon finally said, breaking the silence as they were getting into the car. “I hope not, Kuwata. Mondo was very upset with whatever everyone is getting excited about.” Leon snapped his fingers. “Thought I was forgetting something. I’ll tell you about that thing tomorrow.” Before Ishimaru could reply he had turned on the radio and the ride was silent besides the music. “Just know that Mondo didn’t mean whatever he said to you back in the library.” Ishimaru held the door still, getting out before staring at Leon. “Yeah... He kinda yelled pretty loud about it. Text me later, man. Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hagakure is my favorite character  
> he is hecka rad man heckA  
> (Plus you can even ship him with Leon you knoW because I sure do)
> 
> Either way I figure even if Leon pretends to be all cool he's a wuss inside it's practically canon isn't it either way he cares about his friends for all those people who think I don't like him


	14. In Which Shocking Realizations Are Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ishimaru heads over to the library and gets invited to Chihiro's house. What he discovers is something he wasn't expecting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! So late Nick-coal what the hecka is wrong with you?? Idk but I've been bumming around and started watching SNK and Free and wow just stuffing my schedule with garbage to be honest hahhaha i'm serious. By the way; For all of you people who think Chihiro is not a boy I'm sorry but this is my AU, okay? That's the bottom line you can if anything else but it's just that I believe Chihi-baby is a boy

Ishimaru woke up with a bolt, dragging himself out of the video game dream. It was the third one he had had during the night, and he blamed each one on Leon for making him stay up at Hagakure’s house. There was a knocking coming from downstairs and he sat up quickly, wondering why anybody would want to visit him so early. Then he looked at the clock and stiffened; it was ticking just past eleven o’ clock. He’d promised Chihiro that he would help out at the library again. As soon as he remembered the little detail, memories flooded in from last night- Mondo shouting, Leon’s betting and moping, Chihiro trying to keep everyone calm. Ishimaru got out of bed, taking the house phone from his desk as he began to dial Chihiro’s number. She had given it to him in case there was ever an emergency at the library. Ishimaru pulled the door open and began speaking before realizing who was standing in front of him. “Good morning! Can I help-Oh! Fujisaki! I apologize for not making my way to the library today. In case you couldn’t tell, I just woke up and I apologize for it.” Chihiro nodded, assuring him it was fine. “Are you coming to help out at the library today?” she asked instead. “If you give me enough time to change, I will be there as fast as I can.” Chihiro shook her head. “You don’t need to go if you don’t want to see Mondo. He’s sitting at the library with me today.” Ishimaru knew that it was probably better to leave the gang leader alone and do something else, but he couldn’t let Chihiro do his work. “Of course I will still go! I won’t let a minor disturbance like Oowada keep me from helping my peers!” Chihiro nodded, still looking uncertain, but turned and began running to the sidewalk and to the library. Ishimaru closed the door, put the phone down on the table, and raced upstairs to change. 

 

When Ishimaru finally set his bike down by the bushes at the library, he couldn’t help but feel a shiver of anxiety run down his back. What would he do if Mondo shouted again? Figuring that he would just have to deal with whatever would come next, Ishimaru pulled open the door and walked in. He was waiting for the biker to have a sour comment ready for him, but he didn’t expect the sight he got. Mondo was sprawled out on the floor, snoring loudly. Chihiro was carefully stepping over him, holding a book in each hand. When she noticed Ishimaru standing by the door, she pressed a finger to her lips and motioned for him to follow her to the computer desks. Setting down the books, Chihiro turned her amber eyes to Ishimaru. “I’m s-sorry, Ishimaru. He fell asleep a few minutes ago, if you’re wondering. I think it’s better to leave him alone, though. People are afraid of waking up any kind of gang leader.” Ishimaru glanced back at the sleeping form of Mondo and nodded. Chihiro was right; nobody wanted to get a person like Mondo upset. He tried to ignore the snoring coming from him and walked around back to the desk, beginning to clean up the lose papers. Chihiro struggled to pick up another stack of books and Ishimaru made his way over to her. “Let me help, Fujisaki! It would not be polite of me to force a girl like yourself to hold this when I can.” Chihiro cringed and didn’t reply. She didn’t move for a few seconds and Ishimaru stared at her, beginning to get worried. “Fujisaki? Are you feeling all right?” She nodded, wiping her eyes and looking away. “I need to... I-I’m sorry, Kiyotaka. I need to go...go use the bathroom.” She ran out before he could say anything back. “Fujisaki! Wait!” Ishimaru hurried after her, looking for the bathrooms. He knocked loudly on the door and waited for an answer. “Fujisaki? Should I call someone to help?” The door opened and Chihiro walked out, her head down. “Sorry, Kiyotaka. I-I’m okay.” She rubbed at her eyes and looked up at Ishimaru. “P-please help me organize the rest of the books.” He nodded, still curious. “Was it something I said, Fujisaki? I apologize for it!” She laughed, letting out a hiccup right after. “I know. It’s n-nothing, Kiyotaka.” Chihiro glanced up at him and stopped at the doorway. “Kiyotaka? Can you...do you want to come over later? There’s something I have to tell you.” Ishimaru didn’t see what was wrong with that. It would just be him and Chihiro. “Of course, Fujisaki. You can tell me when you want to.” She giggled and nodded. “Okay. Thanks. Oh... Mondo’s gone. I didn’t think he knew that you were coming today.” Ishimaru nodded, trying not to feel hurt. He’d been trying to avoid Mondo, hadn’t he? But now... Ishimaru wasn’t sure what to think about the teen anymore. 

 

Ishimaru tried not to feel nervous as he walked up the stairs to Chihiro’s house. There were no cars in the driveway, and now he only hoped that he wasn’t going to an empty house. He rang the doorbell and waited. There was a click from the other side and the door opened. “Kiyotaka! You made it. P-please come in!” Chihiro led him into a large office room and closed the door behind him. “I wanted to talk t-to you about something, Kiyotaka.” He had no idea what the girl would want. They were friends, though-weren’t they? People normally didn’t go to a stranger’s house. Chihiro began talking again and Ishimaru pointed his attention back at her. “Do you want something to drink? We have soda, water, and tea.” Ishimaru shook his head. “I’ve already asked enough by coming in, Fujisaki. So... what do you want to talk about?” Chihiro’s smile faded and she sat down on the couch beside Ishimaru. “C-can you keep a secret?” she asked in a quiet voice. “Of course, Fujisaki. It would be shameful to tell someone’s secret to others when they entrusted it only to me.” Chihiro took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “I-I’m...” Ishimaru leaned in closer, trying to hear her whispering voice. She swallowed and opened her eyes, which were shining unnaturally. “I-I’m not a girl!” Chihiro exclaimed. Ishimaru was almost certain that he’d misheard. “Not a... not a girl?” Chihiro nodded, beginning to sniffle. “I d-didn’t want to tell anybody else, but Mondo knows, and L-leon’s figuring it out, a-and you didn’t even know!” Ishimaru  began to slowly realize what Chihiro was saying. “You don’t look like a boy-not that it’s bad, Fujisaki! I don’t mean to embarrass or insult you!” He thought back to earlier in the library and his face paled. He’d called Chihiro a female-to his face, even. Standing up, Ishimaru didn’t wait to see Chihiro’s reaction before bowing, back practically parallel to the table beside him. “I apologize for offending you today, Fujisaki! I hope you will accept my apology and we will continue to be, hopefully, friends!” Chihiro let out a little puff of air and Ishimaru straightened himself, horrified to think that he had just made his friend cry. But the little programmer was laughing, tears falling down his face as his shoulders shook. “Y-yes! I forgive you. It’s my fault f-for not telling you earlier either, Kiyotaka. I’m sorry.” Ishimaru sat back down and thought back to Chihiro’s earlier statement. “Mondo knows this, too?” he asked. “Y-yeah. I didn’t have many, or even any, friends when I met Mondo. He was so strong, and he knew how to defend himself, too! One day I went to ask him to help me get stronger and...” Chihiro’s expression turned dark and he trailed off, as if he didn’t want to finish the sentence. “But I told him and he’s known for a while since then. It’s why he got so mad when Leon asked me out. He knows that it’s normal for me to look like this, but he forgets that other people don’t know it yet and he gets mad at them for it.” Somehow, Ishimaru knew that he didn’t have a reason to be surprised. Mondo and Chihiro were practically inseparable, and Mondo might have found out even if Chihiro hadn’t told him. “That reminds me, Fujisaki. Does he know that you’re telling me this? What does he think of it?” Chihiro looked embarrassed and shook his head. “He doesn’t know. I just told him that I had homework and that he’d get bored if he came ov-” As if on cue, someone began pounding on the front door and Chihiro stood up, looking confused. “Wait here, please.”

 

Ishimaru watched him leave the room and go to the door, opening it to the stranger outside. “Hey, Chi! Can I come in? Please? Wow, what a neat house!” It was Leon. He knew where Chihiro lived? “Shut up, Leon. Get inside.” He probably didn’t, Ishimaru realized, but Mondo knew for sure. “Y-you weren’t supposed to come over today, Mondo! I have homework. And w-what if my parents were home?” Mondo only laughed. Leon’s whistling voice became louder and he poked his head into the room. His eyes widened when he saw Ishimaru and he began shaking his head quickly. “Don’t worry, Chihiro. I saw the empty driveway. We gotta talk, though. Get outta’ the way, Leon. What’s taking you so-” Mondo pushed Leon through the door and walked in himself. He stopped talking when he saw Ishimaru on the couch. “Oh.” Standing up, Ishimaru cleared his throat, feeling his face beginning to burn. “Good afternoon. I’m just leaving, Oowada.” Mondo raised an eyebrow, looking confused. “Oowada...?” Ishimaru tried to inch around him, but Mondo grabbed him by the back of his uniform and pulled him back. “Hold on. You’re important here, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case nobody's noticed, my chapters are on-and-off neatly spaced and… not neatly spaced. If anyone wants to edit my chapters, I'd be über grateful and would probably promo you or something I don't know uwu It would only be for spacing and even still, only for a few chapters since my friend might take over for it, but I would be really happy if someone could! Just like a message on Tumblr or even here haha whatever man I'd be cool with it anyways! Edits--I THIN K I GOT TWO PEOPLE and hopefully we're good! !!


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